Conversion and Affirmation, Healing, Life Transitions, Marriage and Relationships, Niddah, Parenting

Hineini: Here I Am, a Former Mikveh Dissenter and Bride (again) at 57

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by Nina B. Lichtenstein As a convert to Judaism, I have always said that “doing Jewish” is how my chosen identity anchored and deepened itself, and it has helped explain (to myself) why I embraced so fervently (relatively speaking) the laws of Shabbat, kashrut, and taharat ha-mishpacha (the laws of family purity). These three pillars […]

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An adult woman stands in front of a white board teaching a group of middle-school-aged students. Several students have their hands raised and the adult teacher is pointing her hand to call on one of them.
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What I learned at the mikveh

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February is Jewish Disability Awareness & Inclusion Month. Recently, we partnered with our friends at Kesher Newton, whose students learned about marking life transitions through mikveh and created some beautiful social stories about visiting the mikveh. Social stories are a visual learning tool, originally developed to support people with autism. The Kesher students lovingly created […]

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Mikveh Guides

Wherever You Go, There’s Always Water

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by Leah Hart Tennen My very basic introduction to mikveh was: “this is something that Orthodox Jews do, mostly women after their periods.” The first person I ever knew who went to the mikveh was an Orthodox Jew who went after her period. Fast forward many, many years and one of my closest friends asked […]

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Jewish Community

When Words Won’t Come, The Mikveh is Here For Us

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by Aviva Herr-Welber, Mayyim Hayyim Rabbinic Intern This past Wednesday, we were blessed to welcome two groups of Israelis from Haifa on a visit to Mayyim Hayyim: a group of adult Haifa civil society leaders and a group of tenth-grade students. The visits had been planned long ago as part of the larger itinerary for […]

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Jewish Community, Shabbat and Holidays

From guest to CEO

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September 2023 / Elul 5783 Dear friend, As we embrace the season of reflection and renewal, I’m thinking about my own experience with Jewish ritual, like mikveh. Mikveh has been there to help me grow and change. It is here for so many of you at times of celebration, healing, and transition. I became Mayyim Hayyim’s […]

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Marriage and Relationships, National Network

Mikveh Magic

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Originally published by Jewish Women of Words, re-posted with permission by Karen Paul I strip off my clothes, step into the shower, scrub my skin raw. Nothing can sit on the surface of my body as I walk towards the mikveh – not jewellery, not contact lenses, not nail polish. I must be as clean […]

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Healing, National Network

Mikveh Can Support Us

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by Pamela Rosenblum I experienced my first mikveh immersion 25 years ago when I became a member of the Jewish People. It felt profound and transformational. It was many years before I had the opportunity to immerse again when, prior to the high holidays, my Rabbi introduced a small group of women to ImmerseNYC, a […]

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Introducing Mayyim Hayyim’s Next CEO

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June 2023 / Tamuz 5783 Dear friend, On behalf of the Board of Directors of Mayyim Hayyim, I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Julie Childers as Mayyim Hayyim’s next Chief Executive Officer. Following a search process led by a committee of board members and community partners, the Board voted unanimously to select Julie for this role. […]

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Carrie Bornstein

As I prepare to step down as CEO…

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May 2023 / Iyar 5783 Dear friend,This Mother’s Day, I’m thinking about my role as a parent and reflecting on my surrogacy in 2017. It was an experience filled with many wonders and unknowns. That year I marked half a decade leading Mayyim Hayyim. In those years and the many before them as a staff member and Mikveh Guide, I […]

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World Water Day 2023: Impromptu Open Water Mikveh

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by Erica Riddick  I came up, breaking the surface of the water, and opened my eyes. Fresh lake water droplets melded with my saltwater tears. So many things colliding together at once burst forth as a geyser of emotion. I had entered the water in Saugatuck, Michigan with the intention of marking a transition toward […]

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