Please note that speaker & topic lists may be subject to change. Click on speaker name to view bio.
How to Arrange for A Speaker
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Are you looking for a guest speaker for your next program or event?NMJHS can provide you with a speaker to present a topic on the rich, diverse history of Jewish New Mexico and beyond. Below is a list of available speakers and bios,plus information on how to arrange for a speaker.
SPEAKER’S BUREAU
New Mexico JewishHistorical Society
Harvey Buchalter:hcbuchalter@gmail.com•Building Community & Culture: Jews in 20th Century Albuquerque•The Jewish Immigrant Experience in New Mexico•How Yiddish Has Shaped Life in America•Albuquerque’s Congregation B’nai Israel: The First 90 YearsRabbi Paul Citrin:pjcitrin@gmail.com•Social Justice in the NM Jewish Community•Zionism and Israel in the Jewish CommunityJudith Fein:judie@globaladventures.us•You’re Jewish. You want to write a memoir as a legacy. Here’s what you need to do.•Experiences with little-known or unknown Jewish communities around the worldSara Koplik:sarakoplik@unmhillel.org•Traders & Travelers: An Economic History of the Jews of Afghanistan•A Portrait of the Daily Lives of Afghan Jews•The Jugutis: A lie that saved the Jews of Central Asia and Iran during the Holocaust•Reflections on Modern Crypto-Judaism: Memory, tradition, and practice•The Legacy of Euologia “Loggie” Carrasco: Teacher, scholar, and pioneerDianne Layden:dlayden@earthlink.net•Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Santa Fe Opera•Jewish Jurist: Ruth Bader Ginsburg•Ruth Bader Ginsburg & the Law•Temple Montefiore in Las Vegas, New Mexico•Hate Crimes in the U.S. & New MexicoSarah Leiter:sleiter2@gmail.com•The Color of Jews•Crypto-Jewish Candle Lighting•When History Changes Who You Are•Reclaiming Jewish AncestryNorma Libman:nrmlibman@gmail.com•From Spain to NM: The Journey to Keep a SecretRichard Melzer:rmelzer@unm.edu•The Swastika in NM Culture & HistoryIsabelle Sandoval:isantadoval@msn.com•Who Am I?: Finding my NM Jewish Roots•Bi-Lingual/ESL Education and NM JewsNaomi Sandweiss-Willie:nsandweiss@gmail.com•Notable NM Jews in World War II•A Mobster in the Family: Jewish Gangsters•Family Vignettes: Uncovering, Honoring & Sharing Family Stories•Star of David on the Santa Fe Trail: Jewish NM•Jews at Camp Cody: A World War I Training Camp in Southern NMRabbi Jack Shlachter:physicsrabbi@gmail.com•Jewish Humor: A whirlwind summary of Jewish comedy from early texts to present time•Tunes and Tints: Learn about the lives and creative works of nine Jewish visual artists and musicians•Jews in Theory: Jews at Los Alamos NM during the Manhattan Project•The Grapes of Roth: Three Literary Giants (Joseph, Henry, and Philip Roth)Marcia Torobin:mtorobin@msn.comHistory Through the Lens: A CinematicLookThe Jew in American Film: A Reflection of Jewish Experience in America
Choose a speaker from the list above.Contact the Speaker directly to make arrangements and notify NMJHS at admin@nmjhs.org.After the event, fill out the event completion form, and return as instructed on the form.NMJHS will pay the honorarium directly to the speaker. No other form of compensation may be offered. Sponsoring organizations may offer mileage, lodging or meal reimbursement to speakers at their discretion.Please recognize NMJHS in your publicity.For more information, please contact: admin@nmjhs.org
A New York native, Harvey has resided in New Mexico since 1969 and is a retired high school and college teacher as well as an active sculptor, designer, and writer on Jews in New Mexico, how their history and culture have made a lasting impact on the state.Harvey is also a certified Yiddish-to-English translator and has translated many memoires, documents, and even the 400- page autobiography of one of the most gifted sculptors in early 20th century Europe.He is an active member of the NMJHS, former Board member, and is the recipient of the prestigious Hurst Award presented to individuals or organizations who have made contributions to New Mexico Jewish History.
Paul Citron served as Rabbi of Congregation Albert from 1978 to 1996. He is the author of six books on theology and fiction. He retired with his wife, Susan, in Albuquerque in 2012.
Judith Fein is a multiple award-winning international travel journalist who has contributed to 130 print and online publications, has been a keynote speaker for many organizations and did a TEDx talk about deep travel.
Sara Koplik, Ph.D. is the author of A Political and Economic History of the Jews of Afghanistan, was the editor of the New Mexico Jewish Link, and is currently the director of the Aaron David Bram Hillel House at the University of New Mexico. She founded the Sephardic heritage program at the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, and from 2016 to 2021 helped thousands of individuals across the world certify their ancestral Sephardic roots.
Dianne R. Layden is a semi-retired professor and writer in Albuquerque. Her field is American Studies. Subjects of her research and publications include New Mexico history and culture, including Jewish history. She received writing awards for her articles in Legacy, the NMJHS newsletter, about hate crimes at Nosh Deli in Albuquerque in 2014 and her interviews of Albuquerque Holocaust survivors in 2017, which won a national award. Since 2022, Dr. Layden has portrayed Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the New Mexico Humanities Council. In 2024, she published a booklet about Temple Montefiore in Las Vegas, N.M., which is available from NMJHS. Community activities include service on the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Advisory and Review Board and the board of the cooperative where she lives.
Sarah Leiter is a PhD Candidate (ABD) in the Department of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico and a past NMJHS board member. Her academic research has explored emergent and diverse Jewish communities, including new converts in Brazil, a Black Jewish congregation in Chicago, and New Mexican descendants of Sephardim.
Norma is a journalist and lecturer with degrees in Education and Literature from Northeastern Illinois University, and has taught at universities, colleges and workshops in New Mexico, Illinois and elsewhere. She also has designed Jewish content programs for the Road Scholar program and served as a presenter and group leader.She lectures extensively on Literature, Writing, and Jewish History and Culture. In addition, Norma has conducted extensive research in Crypto-Jewish History and interviews many individuals and families with hidden Jewish histories. She is a member of the NMJHS Board and a recipient of the Hurst Award for her work in Jewish education.
Professor Emeritus of History, UNM-Valencia Campus, Ph.D., UNM, since 1979; Dr. Melzer has published and lectured on a wide variety of topics in 20th Century New Mexico History, including his most recent books Breakdown: How the Secret of the Atomic Bomb was Stolen During World War II (2000) and Coming of Age in the Great Depression: The Civilian Conservation Corps Experience in New Mexico, 1933-42 (2000) and Buried Treasures: Famous and Unusual Gravesites in New Mexico History (2007). His publications have appeared in New Mexico Magazine, New Mexico Historical Review, Western Historical Quarterly, El Palacio, and Journal of the West and Military History of the Southwest. He has been UNM’s outstanding Teacher of the Year and is a Past-President of the Historical Society of New Mexico.
Isabelle Sandoval has served as a teacher/administrator/professor of Spanish, English, Literacy, and Bilingual Education. A Santa Fe poet/writer, she has advocated for bilingual multicultural standards. Isabelle studies information regarding the experiences of the descendants of Iberian crypto-Jews grounded in genealogy, history, language, traditions, and DNA. As a Portuguese citizen based on her ancestral connection to Portuguese Sefardita origin, her goal is to enhance a Jewish learning community engaging in quality clarification, exploration, and research.
Naomi currently is Program Manager for the UNM Center for Development and Disability. Previously, she was Executive Director of NMJHS, Parents Reaching Out and served as Youth Program Supervisor at the University of New Mexico, Division of Continuing Education.She has several publications including Jewish Albuquerque and contributing writer to The Jewish Legacy in New Mexico, New Mexico Jewish Link, and Tablet Magazine.
Jack Shlachter is a physicist who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory for over thirty years with briefer stints at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, the Atomic Energy Agency, and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, the latter two based in Vienna, Austria; he led both the Physics Division and Theoretical Division during his LANL career. In parallel, Jack is an ordained rabbi who led the Jewish congregation in Los Alamos, NM, for many years, was the rabbi in Center Moriches, NY, during his years at Brookhaven, and now serves as rabbi of HaMakom, a congregation in Santa Fe, NM, as well as the Los Alamos Jewish Center. He has also provided itinerant rabbinic support to far-flung Jewish communities including those in Vienna, Austria, Beijing, China, and Warsaw, Poland.
Marcia Torobin is co-founder of the Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival and has served as Festival Director since its inception in 2010. She has spoken about Jewish culture, history, religion, and politics as reflected in film, as well as other topics.
