Written by Lisa Port White One of my favorite tasks as a guide at Mayyim Hayyim is to witness conversion immersions and be the first to welcome someone into Judaism. I like it so much that I often scan the calendar and sign up when I know there is going to be a conversion. Last […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Rabbi Claudia Kreiman Every year, I am honored to sponsor a few candidates for conversion. As a rabbi, accompanying a person on their path into Judaism is one of the most profound experiences I encounter. I learn from candidates, from their questions and struggles. Their perspectives and experiences enrich my own and open […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Aliza Kline This year, for my sabbatical in Israel, my family and I deliberately chose not to live in Jerusalem. My husband Bradley and I have both lived there for at least two years and we hoped for a different kind of Israel experience. We also were just exhausted by the constant meshugas […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Trish Soha חנה בת אברהם ושרה, Chana Bat Avraham v’Sarah I had imagined my conversion mikveh immersion at least three times a day for the year or so between my Pathways to Judaism class’ tour at Mayyim Hayyim and the actual event—that’s over a thousand imagined dunkings, if you’re counting – and none […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Lisa Berman Oh to be a 12 year old girl these days. No, not because of all the Justin Bieber look-alikes in their classes, though surely that doesn’t hurt. And yes, being a 5th, 6th, or 7th grade girl is still rife with challenges – academic, social, sports, bullying, peer pressure, etc. Add […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Anita Diamant There’s a new mikveh in Raleigh! I was in North Carolina a few weeks ago and Rabbi Jenny Solomon gave us a tour – “us” being me, my husband Jim, who is a Mayyim Hayyim mikveh guide, and my daughter Emilia, who was a Mayyim Hayyim intern long before we opened […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Miriam Anzovin “Would’st thou,”—so the helmsman answered, “Learn the secret of the sea? Only those who brave its dangers Comprehend its mystery!” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Secret of the Sea Last summer, right after the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, I swam in the ocean for the first […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Todd Kates On July 26, 2011, the 6th anniversary of his adoption by me from a Russian orphanage, my son officially converted to Judaism at Mayyim Hayyim. On October 1, 2011, he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in front of 145 family and friends. It was probably one of the most profound moments since […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Madeline Mayer While sitting in my Fundraising and Philanthropy class last week, someone remarked vehemently, “I think that more people should give anonymous gifts. I think that it is self-serving when there are several buildings all with one family’s last name.” Now, as a Brandeis student, I admit that I often am frustrated […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Rachel Galper Rachel wrote this monologue for Libi Eir’s “Scenes from the Mikveh Monologues” production. For as long as I could remember, I’d hated myself. I hated my body, my feelings, and the dark, nasty voices inside my head. I hated being a Jew and a woman- a living, walking target. And I was furious at […]
Continue ReadingIn the midst of our month-long series honoring National Domestic Abuse Awareness month, we offer you a selection of quotes from our guest books. These words of reflection, hope, and healing have been left for you to read by our visitors: “This was my first experience immersing in a mikveh, and it will take […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein Another version of this post was first published on the Academy for Jewish Religion website. Sitting in a private bathroom stall on Rosh Hashanah at my synagogue, I notice a sign for a hotline for domestic abuse. I am saddened that we need such signs. I am relieved that we […]
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