by 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 […]
Continue Readingby DeDe Jacobs-Komisar, Development Manager This week marks my first Mayyim Hayyim “work-iversary.” When I started as Development Manager in July of 2014, the very first thing I did was observe an educational program with high school students from Genesis, a Brandeis University Jewish studies summer program for teens from all over the world. It […]
Continue Readingby Caroline Potter Earlier this month, I attended a conference called “Students are Not Asking Questions,” organized by the Cambridge-based, Right Question Institute (RQI). Chiefly a professional development conference for educators, it aimed to address the steep decline in question-asking as children mature and advance in school. So, why do children stop asking questions? In part, […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director I love Fridays in the summer. The anticipation of a weekend filled with family, beach, sun, swimming, cousins, and a book — when every meal is al fresco, including Shabbat dinner lit only by candlelight and, by dessert, moonlight. At Mayyim Hayyim, Friday afternoons in July are marked […]
Continue Readingby A. Fox In my parents’ home back in St. Paul, Minnesota, I used to tiptoe into the bathroom late at night, lock the door behind me, put a towel in the door’s crack and turn off the lights. I knew how many steps it took to reach the faucet. How many inches to lift my hand for […]
Continue Readingby Shira M. Cohen-Goldberg The internal dialogue goes like this: I have to go to the mikveh. Do I really have to go this month? When can I go this week? Do I really have to go? I have between 3-4 on Thursday, but my meeting gets out at 2:30, which doesn’t leave me travel […]
Continue Readingby Leah Wittenberg, Mayyim Hayyim Intern “There was a mikfa on oitnb!” This was the slightly confusing text I received from one of my friends who is not Jewish, but knows I am interning at a mikveh, Mayyim Hayyim, this summer. She is also in tune with Judaism due to all the Friday nights she has spent […]
Continue Readingby Wendy Gonsenhauser, Teacher at Beth Tikvah Synagogue of Westborough MA and her 5th and 6th Grade Students Every year, Mayyim Hayyim’s Education Center sees over sixty programs for youth, (and another fifty for adults). Students come from day schools and synagogues all over the Greater Boston Area, some travelling from as far as New […]
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