A New Milestone: 770 Facebook Likes

To Life! To Life! L'Chaim!  On August 8, 2013, the Abq Jew Facebook Page achieved 770 Likes.

So, Abq Jew knows you business owners and organization leaders are asking, how does Abq Jew (an entirely online venture) serve the Jewish community of Albuquerque and beyond and fit into my marketing plan?

Let's look at the current numbers.

• Abq Jew's Alexa Traffic Rank is less than 700,000 (Google is Number 1) - very competitive for the Albuquerque market
• Google's #1 search engine consistently produces Abq Jew high up on page 1
• Abq Jew has an email list of 250+; plus 770 Facebook page likes; 200+ Twitter followers; and 230 LinkedIn connections
• The Abq Jew Web gets more than 2,500 pageviews per month
• The Abq Jew Blog gets close to 6,000 pageviews per month; almost 200 per day; more than 100,000+ all-time
• Each Abq Jew Blog post is syndicated to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and Duke City Fix 

Here is a more complete discussion of Why You Should Advertise With Abq Jew:

Advertise with Abq Jew from Abq Jew LLC

Abq Jew hears you ask

Why is the number 770 important?

To which Abq Jew responds:

770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn
Chabad World Headquarters
 

Advertisers! Give Abq Jew a call!

Ice Cream Social @ B'nai Israel!

Making Connections: Congregation B’nai Israel will hold an Ice Cream Social this Sunday for new and prospective members.

Ice Cream Social

Sunday August 11  ~  1:00 - 3:00 pm

Congregation B'nai Israel

4401 Indian School Road NE

Rabbi Arthur Flicker, Cantor Leon Natker,
current members, and the Board of Directors
will be on hand to greet you and tell you about
B'nai Israel's religious, social, and educational programs.

Congregation B’nai Israel has been defining
modern Jewish life in the American Southwest
for over 90 years. 

The Ice Cream Social is FREE, and everyone is welcome. 

Want more information?
Call the B'nai Israel office ~ (505) 266-0155!

And just a reminder -
please join the Congregation B'nai Israel Men's Club
on Sunday August 18 for a Brunch
with Guest Speaker Mikey Weinstein
of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation!

Keep Po'pay Home!

Indiegogo Campaign: The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is currently utilizing the crowd sourcing site Indiegogo to keep "in house" the statue of Po'Pay that today stands in the IPCC's entrance hall.

Abq Jew wrote about this impressive statue in March (see Welcome to "J" University). Who was Popé? Abq Jew hears you ask. The IPCC website tells us:

Popé was born around 1630 in Ohkay Owingeh [formerly known as San Juan Pueblo], in what is now the state of New Mexico; his given name was Popein (pronounced bó -bein), which means "ripe squash" in the Tewa language.

In his life’s journey and commitment to his people, he became a religious leader and was responsible for traditional religious activities. In his role as a religious leader, time passed, and was aware of his people’s suffering under Spanish settlers.

Pueblo people were forced to provide labor, food and other items to support the growing Spanish communities. The Spaniards also pressured the Pueblo People to convert from Pueblo religion and way of life…to adopt Christianity - those Pueblo people found practicing their traditional Pueblo religion were tortured and in some instances, executed.

In 1675, Popé and 46 other Pueblo leaders were convicted of “sorcery” and he was among those who were flogged, while others were executed. In 1680, Popé organized the Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish.  It has been said that this was the first successful revolution against an oppressor on North American soil.

On its Indigogo page, the IPCC writes about the sculpture:

This Popé (pronounced Po-Pay) sculpture, by Clifford Fragua of Jemez Pueblo, is currently on loan to us by the artist. We are raising funds to acquire Popé as part of our permanent collection ....

By keeping the Popé sculpture "home" at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, we will contribute to the education of thousands of visitors annually and more importantly, we will be sharing this important historical event and individual with a younger generation of Pueblo youth.

The Popé sculpture stands as a reminder of the important role he and others played in preserving Pueblo culture, religion, traditional lands, language and a way of life.

It is our intent to share this story and connect the path that has paved the road for our Pueblo people today as we strive to maintain our way of life and strengthen our deeply rooted traditions.

Abq Jew believes that the Albuquerque Jewish community is very aware of both the importance and the difficulty of preserving our own cultural heritage.

And Abq Jew believes that we can play a vital role in helping the IPCC to continue its work, preserving and presenting the cultural heritage of the Indian pueblos.

This Popé sculpture is valued at $125,000.and artist Clifford Fragua is committed to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and our mission, so he has reduced purchase price to $70,000.

[The IPCC's] goal is to ensure that Popé never leaves the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and is here for future generations.

Here is the IPCC video about Po'Pay and this project.

 The campaign is scheduled to end on August 10.

Please contribute!

Special Interview, Special Exhibit

And Very Special People: The Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival visits Albuquerque for a special showing of Special Interview.

Special Interview

Albuquerque JCC

Sunday August 11 ~ 4:00 pm

Tickets: $5 Advance / $8 Door. Available here.

Special Interview follows 27-year-old Efrat Dotan, who has Down’s syndrome, and 20-year-old Matanel Bitton, who has developmental disabilities. Efrat and Matanel spend their days at SHALVA-The Association for Mentally & Physically Challenged Children in Israel where they are taught life skills that enable them to reach their maximum potential.

As trained reporters, they have interviewed many well-known personalities including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres, but their dream is to interview President Barack Obama.

The film shares their journey from Jerusalem to New York to Washington DC, while offering a peek into their unique world. Special Interview both informs and entertains, leaving us with a richer appreciation and understanding of the special needs community.

Special Interview is being screened in conjunction with the Albuquerque JCC’s exhibit "How I See the World”.  The exhibit will run through Wednesday August 14.

How I See the World

An Art Exhibit by Smith Weber Sandager

Albuquerque JCC ~ through Wednesday August 14

Smith has often said, “My art is how I see the world!” His exhibit will feature upbeat themes such as:  love, patriotism, Israel, natural beauty and whimsy.

Smith’s training includes classes at VSA North Fourth Art Center in Albuquerque  and private studies with art educators, Travis Farnsworth and Jonathan Loth.

The JCC and Jewish community are very significant parts of Smith’s world, where he has been embraced and encouraged by all.

The proceeds from art sales will be donated by Smith to benefit the New Mexico Holocaust and  Intolerance Museum and the Jewish Community Center’s Arts and Culture programming.