by Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director I became a Jew (by choice) in December, 1980. I’ve been Jewish for 36 years — so long that many who know me don’t realize I wasn’t always Jewish. My observance, knowledge, and confidence about Judaism has grown each year. But, to be honest, for most of those […]
Continue Readingby Leah Robbins, Administrative and Marketing Assistant This Passover has me thinking a lot about what liberation looks like to me. I wish I could say that the poignancy of our own liberation narrative, from slavery to freedom, have inspired in me words of transformation and moments of comfort and hope. But to be honest… […]
Continue Readingby Terry Rosenberg, Board Member My personal, direct experience with ritual immersion happened many years ago, and my memory is sweet. But the felt, lived, embodied experience has faded. I love Mayyim Hayyim for the same reasons as so many others – its inclusivity, beauty, and ability to empower me to enact an ancient ritual in […]
Continue Readingby Carrie Bornstein, Executive Director Since before Mayyim Hayyim opened, we’ve gotten requests to share our model with other communities. We’ve offered individualized consultations, hosted international conferences, trainings, and a blog, developed curricula and immersion ceremonies, and created short documentary films that celebrate how the mikveh (of all things!) can be a place where people […]
Continue Readingby Wendy Handler, Mikveh Guide A friend recently sent me an email that said, “Keep calm and carry on…spring is coming!” with a beautiful picture of budding flowers in my favorite colors. The message did little to soothe my nerves. Spring is coming…translation: Passover is coming, too…heavy sigh…already I anticipate the back-breaking cleaning. The signs […]
Continue Readingby Rene Katersky, Mikveh Guide As I approach another significant birthday, one ending in “0” (aren’t they all significant at this age?), I have been thinking a lot about the self-imposed benefits of turning another year older. I am mindful of my desire to say “no” more often…no to things I no longer feel passionate […]
Continue Readingby Rachel Eisen, Director of Annual Giving If there’s one thing my mother taught me (okay, there are many things my mother taught me, but it’s a saying, right?), it is to always be prepared. Even if you don’t think you have to go to the bathroom, try. Don’t wait for the warning light to […]
Continue Readingby Nadav David Just over a year ago, my grandfather, Abraham Gittelson z”l, passed at the age of 87. Three days beforehand, I sat next to his bed at the Rehabilitation Center in North Miami Beach, reading the morning’s sport page to him and discussing the upcoming Shabbat’s parasha (weekly Torah portion). I fed him […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director It’s time to pack away this year’s Purim costume, try valiantly to clean up the glitter, put away the glue gun, and start thinking about Passover. Four weeks from tonight we’ll be sitting around our tables munching on parsley and waiting for our turn to come around in […]
Continue Readingby Anonymous As a Jewish woman living a traditional halachic life (governed by Jewish law), I am often faced with questions from myself and others regarding my religious choices. One question that will likely always come up is that of the place of women in halachic Judaism. In modern-day Orthodoxy, the synagogue has become the focus […]
Continue Readingby Hayley Goldstein, Mikveh Guide When I walk through the arch and down the winding, flower-lined path, punch in the security code, hang my coat up in the closet, and sit down at the desk, I have a distinct feeling that only Mikveh Guides feel. It feels like a fluttering in my heart and belly, […]
Continue Readingby Leah Robbins, Administrative and Marketing Assistant International Women’s Day is on the horizon (March 8), and this year, like every year, I am reminded of the enormity of the weight of the world carried on the backs of women. I am reminded that women are made responsible for creating history and carrying history. I realize […]
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