by Laura Seide, Intern It is now halfway through my year-long internship here at Mayyim Hayyim, and I have a confession to make: I have a crush on Carrie Bornstein. Though all the staff at Mayyim Hayyim are amazing, strong and intelligent women, who are fantastic role models as both professionals and community members, there’s […]
Continue Readingby Debra Askanase Sometimes, even newborn babies need a fresh start. That’s what I thought when I finally brought my eldest daughter home from Children’s Hospital, three and a half weeks after her birth. She had a rough beginning, going straight from Newton-Wellesley to Children’s Hospital. It was touch-and-go for the first few days, and after […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Berman, Education Center Director Makom kadosh. Holy space. It is what we try to create here at Mayyim Hayyim. We refer to the process as “intentional design” – the highly focused, carefully thought out selection of everything physical at Mayyim Hayyim. In our “Principles of Common Purpose,” we describe our principle of hiddur mitzvah […]
Continue Readingby Samantha Wood When I brought my daughter to Beneath the Surface, I didn’t know what to expect. Ritual Jewish immersion was something I had hardly considered, and I didn’t think I would ever be drawn to it. I didn’t know quite what the workshop would ask of us, but I wanted something to help […]
Continue Readingby Sherri Goldman, Administrative and Finance Director We never spoke about mikveh in my family. I never really thought about this until I started working at Mayyim Hayyim. At Mayyim Hayyim, mothers and daughters come to immerse for many smachot (happy occasions). Families gather to celebrate conversions and wedding immersions. Mothers pass along to […]
Continue ReadingFrom time to time, Mayyim Hayyim staff read through our guest book. It’s quite fulfilling to read about people’s immersion experience(s) in their words. Sometimes people come to mark the ending of an illness or medical treatment or relationship, but their words often sound hopeful for a new beginning. Here are a few entries… This […]
Continue Readingby Leah Hart Tennen, Mikveh Center Director With apologies for plagiarizing from “Rent”, I ask everyone to think about how one measures a year. “In daylight? In sunsets? In midnights? In cups of coffee?” This particular year feels a bit different, however, as I can measure it in many different ways. As my first 365 […]
Continue Readingby Sue Horowitz This November, I had the honor of debuting a song at Mayyim Hayyim‘s Tapestry: Choosing a Jewish Life event. The song, “Here I Am” was written for the ritual of conversion to Judaism. I am a singer-songwriter, frequently reinterpreting texts, psalms, prayers and Jewish ethics. I am lucky to have a writing […]
Continue Readingby Carrie Bornstein I have a confession to make, right up front. I’ve never been to Nordstrom’s. But from what I’ve heard, I imagine it to be the Mecca of department stores. (Okay, I’ve never been to Mecca, either, so let me quit while I’m ahead.) The image I have of Nordstrom’s is of bright lights, clean displays, […]
Continue Readingby Jennifer Slifka Vidal, President of the Board of Directors Eat more plant-based foods. Try yoga…….again Revel in my new role as President of the Board Directors of Mayyim Hayyim Seven years ago, my husband Luis and I brought our three children, who were adopted as infants, and were then 5 months, 7, and 9 […]
Continue Readingby Sarah Gurvis, Administrative Assistant Every year, as I’m sure most people do, I look forward to January 1st. There seems to be something magical about the beginning of a new year that we all seem to believe in. It’s the reason that New Year’s Eve is such a big deal with parties, and champagne, […]
Continue Readingby Anita Diamant, Mayyim Hayyim President and Founder Once upon a time, in 2001, five women signed legal papers petitioning the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to incorporate an independent non-profit entity to be called Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh and Education Center. The signatories were Dr. Paula Brody, Roz Garber, Judy Green, Rabbi Barbara Penzner […]
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