The Energy in the Room

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Written by Carrie Bornstein In less than one week, 500 people will gather to honor Rabbi Leslie Gordon and Patti and Louis Grossman.  We will enjoy food and wine from around the world, hear Women of the World’s lively music, view Anita Diamant and Janet Buchwald’s newest theatrical performance, plus other surprises. I can already […]

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NYC, Immersed

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This originally appeared on the Women’s Rabbinic Network blog, Kol Isha. Rabbinical student and former Mayyim Hayyim intern, Sara Luria shares her firsthand experience of Superstorm Sandy. by Sara Luria I decided to call my mikveh project, launched a month ago, ImmerseNYC. Oh New York — my birthplace, my home — I didn’t mean it […]

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On the Other Side of the Door

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by Rabbi Leslie Gordon This is not a blog entry about what it feels like to immerse in Mayyim Hayyim.  Most narratives in this space provide moving descriptions of the tranquility of the pools, of the restorative powers of the living waters.  This is a glimpse into what it feels like on the other side […]

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A Place of Renewal

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by Sarah Gurvis, Administrative Assistant For the past 13 years, I have spent every summer at URJ Eisner Camp in the Berkshires. I’ve been a camper, a counselor, and a unit head. I’ve made friends that feel more like family, and both taught and learned from hundreds of incredible children. Eisner taught me how to […]

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For Me and No One Else

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by Tabitha May-Tolub From a young age, I have always loved church – the music, the holy space, and the community safety net it provided. I learned valuable lessons that I hoped to pass on to my children. Not only the big lessons about how best to serve G-d, and how to treat others, but […]

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Trust in Transition: The Story of Mayyim Hayyim’s Recent Executive Transition

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By Carrie Bornstein and Aliza Kline This article was originally published by eJewishPhilanthrophy.  [The recent leadership transition at Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh and Education Center can be instructive to other organizations in transition especially those who face the change from start up to “second stage.” Now eleven years old, Mayyim Hayyim was envisioned by […]

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The Fluidity of Mikveh

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by Jordan Braunig, Hebrew College Intern In an education class that I was taking a couple of years ago at Hebrew College’s Rabbinical School, an instructor assigned us the seemingly benign task of watching a few child-development videos on YouTube.  I’m as busy as the next guy and appreciated having an assignment that I could […]

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Making the Mikveh Mine

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by Jim Ball, Mikveh Guide, Cohort 6a I’ve been a mikveh guide for about a year. Because I work from my house and can make my own hours, I’ve been called on often for the many men who have used Mayyim Hayyim for a variety of reasons: upcoming weddings, conversions, bar mitzvahs, and marking special […]

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Of Red Leaves and Cinnamon Smells

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by Julia Becker Collins, Director of Community Engagement When I was 19, I moved from California to Massachusetts.  While I moved primarily to transfer from one college to another, it was also motivated by my desire to move back to a place with four distinct seasons.  Originally from New Jersey, I discovered after I moved […]

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A Change in Perspective

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by Cantor Nancy Sargon Sometimes it takes only a few words, a glance or a change in posture to profoundly alter one’s perspective on what is happening.  Yesterday I had such an experience while I was at Mayyim Hayyim, participating in the conversion of a three month old baby in the dual roles of Beit […]

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Embracing the Future

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by Laura Seide, Development intern For several weeks now, I have felt as if I am teetering on a precipice, yearning to move forward, but wary of the future. Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies. Even when we want something really badly, we still hold ourselves back. Why? Is it fear? Fear of failure, […]

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"Mar" Cheshvan

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by Carrie Bornstein We made it. October 10; a.k.a. the 24th of the Jewish month of Tishrei; a.k.a. the first day in three-and-a-half weeks we are no longer in the midst of “the holidays.”  Phew. In one week we begin the month of Cheshvan, a.k.a. “Mar Cheshvan,” or the bitter month of Cheshvan; bitter because it […]

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