Who's Who in Jewish Abq

Have You Met  ... Tircha D Tzibura?  Tircha D Tzibura is known throughout the Jewish world, even (especially?) Abq.  Some say she has always been here; others, that she just arrived from the Coast.  With her flaming red curls, sensible shoes, and half-asleep expression, she is easy to spot.

OK, this is just the type of thing that Abq Jew finds humorous.  Tircha d'tzibura ("a burden on the congregation") is a Rabbinic / Talmudic expression that denotes an activity that takes longer than most people can bear, and that, therefore, should be avoided.  While some claim that tircha d'tzibura cannot apply to shul on Shabbas - after all, where else ya gonna go?  what else ya gotta do? - others are sure that it does.  The classic example: the many occasions during the year when we take two (or three!) Sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls) from the Ark, so we don't keep the congregation waiting while we roll the scroll back and forth to find the next reading.  Abq Jew must point out that the correct phrase is " Sifrei Torah", and not the often-heard " Torahs".  There is only one Torah.

Meet Morris Ayyin, Genghis & Sylvia Khan, and (eventually) other Abq Jewish machers right here.