by Bronwen Mullen When I formally began studying Theatre of the Oppressed at Sarah Lawrence College, the words of founder Augusto Boal resonated deeply: “Theatre is a rehearsal for life!”; “The most dangerous weapon theatre possesses is empathy!”; “Theatre is change! It is becoming, not being!” These words more than resonated. I felt these words […]
Continue Readingby Susan Arndt It’s hard to believe we just celebrated my son’s Bar Mitzvah. Zachary was born a beautiful healthy baby, but at the age of sixteen months, he started having seizures. Over the years, with all of the challenges he has faced being non-verbal and having developmental delays, I have always looked for ways of […]
Continue Readingby Carrie Bornstein Just over four years ago I shared with you the exciting news that Libi Eir, Awakened Heart Community Mikveh in Raleigh, NC was nearing completion. They’d trained 22 volunteer Mikveh Guides using the Diane and Chester Black Guide My Steps training and since they opened Libi Eir has facilitated more than 500 immersions […]
Continue Readingby Ruth Oppenheim When Rabbi Klein announced a trip to Mayyim Hayyim, I signed up immediately. I have reached an age where I am well aware of how finite life is, and I recognized an opportunity for a spiritual experience. Though I was clear that I wanted to join Temple Habonim’s visit to Mayyim Hayyim, […]
Continue Readingby Leah Wittenberg, Mayyim Hayyim Intern Last Monday, I woke up startled, breathing quickly and heavily. I had just experienced the oddest nightmare: Tufts Hillel was being shut down. I couldn’t tell you the exact reason why Hillel was closing, but I remember my panic clearly. I felt anxious and I was in tears as I […]
Continue Readingby Pam McArthur Mayyim. It seems simple, this Hebrew word for water, mayyim. The humming, mother-sound, the letter mem at beginning and end. The ear might hear and think a palindrome, a word the same from right to left and left to right. You might think you could go from beginning to end, then turn […]
Continue Readingby Cara Rock-Singer, Mayyim Hayyim Intern A couple weeks ago, I sat in on a class at Mayyim Hayyim. Joy Ladin, a professor of English at Yeshiva University had brought a class of high school students from the Genesis high school program she was teaching at Brandeis, called, “Investigating Gender, Sexuality and Society.” Our Associate Director of […]
Continue Readingby Evan Taksar Before I started the Hornstein Program at Brandeis, my idea of mikveh came exclusively from that scene in Sex and the City when Charlotte converts to Judaism. I had no idea the mikveh was also used for brides, niddah (monthly immersion), and many other reasons. The truth is, I had very little knowledge of […]
Continue Readingby Rachel Eisen, Mayyim Hayyim Intern Things can change in an instant. Last week, nearly 70 teens from Camp Ramah in New England came to visit Mayyim Hayyim. Our Associate Director of Education, Leeza, was rotating them in three groups through an education program, and she was masterfully teaching the second group when it started hailing. […]
Continue ReadingLeeann Simons, Mikveh Guide From the Mayyim Hayyim vaults, written almost 9 years ago. Last night I had the privilege of being part of one woman’s healing ritual. She had been sexually assaulted by a former “good” friend, and was coming to us as part of her moving forward with her life. What I want to […]
Continue Readingby Walt Clark, Office Manager Stark: severe or bare in appearance or outline. This past week at Mayyim Hayyim the walls were empty. The art has come down as we wait for the next exhibit to go up. A fresh coat of paint has seemingly washed the nicks and scratches off the walls, so that all that is […]
Continue Readingby Iris Adams I’ve always been curious about the tradition of mikveh, so I was pleased to accept an invitation to visit Mayyim Hayyim in June with a group of women from the Merrimack Valley. When I walked through the gate by a pretty white and blue tiled bench set among greenery and gardens, I […]
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