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Blood and Guts

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 Written by Caroline Musin Berkowitz This week, we read two of my favorite Torah portions, Tazria and Metzora, and we learn about what to do when faced with, well, blood and guts. The laws are complex and full of examples of what is tamei, ritually impure, and what is tahor, ritually pure. If you have […]

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Rooted

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By Nina Stewart, Mayyim Hayyim Administrative Assistant This past Sunday, Earth Day, New England was soaked in a heavy rain that provided much-needed respite from a three-months-long drought. As a Southern transplant, I am still awestruck by the slowness that this region’s rainstorms bring to city life. I spent most of the day reading and […]

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Mikveh for LGBT Jews: Use, Adaptation, or Appropriation?

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Written by Gabriella Spitzer, Barnard College Student At Barnard College, where I am currently a junior, I am taking a class called Thinking Sexuality.  Among other things, it deals with the intersections of queer/LGBT life and other aspects of identity.   I’d love your help with research for my final project, researching how queer/LGBT Jews and […]

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Counting Up

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Written by Aliza Kline, Founding Executive Director of Mayyim Hayyim It’s hard to believe—but I am now beginning the last nine weeks of this extraordinary 10-month sabbatical in Israel. Pesach is vacation time for every Israeli family with school-age children. Each day of the holiday, all five of us (my husband Bradley, and our daughters […]

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Rediscovering Connection

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By Lisa Port White, Mayyim Hayyim Mikveh Guide Mayyim Hayyim is one of a handful of communities that in combination underpin the social and spiritual aspects of my life, and I miss it.  I feel a little heartache when I drive past the building, which I do with some frequency.  I think about dropping by […]

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Hiddur Mitzvah – Making it All Beautiful

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By Sherri Goldman, Administrative Director Finally, spring is here! I can’t complain too much about this past winter without much snow and with milder than normal temperatures. But, it’s always a good feeling for me to put away the ice melt and see flowers blooming and the landscapers putting down fresh mulch. As Administrative Director […]

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Exhilarated!

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Exhilarated! That’s how we feel when a group of 20, 30, or 40 students walk out the door of the Paula Brody & Family Education Center at the conclusion of one of our 115+ programs each year.  We love opening up  minds about what mikveh can be, changing long-held opinions, and engaging in spirited discussions. […]

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Creating an Organizational Culture of Learning

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by Carrie Bornstein, Acting Executive Director A few weeks ago, I had the honor of representing Mayyim Hayyim at Slingshot Day in New York.  Recognized as one of their “Standard Bearers” for ongoing innovation, impact, strong leadership, and organizational efficacy, Mayyim Hayyim is in good company with other fabulous organizations.  Slingshot convened representatives from each of […]

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A Mikveh Q&A

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By Judi and Maya Goldberg My five-year old daughter, Maya, and I met “Mikveh Lisa” (Lisa Berman, Mayyim Hayyim Education Center Director) at Temple Shalom. We participated in our first immersion at Mayyim Hayyim about six months ago. Maya and I both love going to the mikveh, but for very different reasons. I love going […]

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Calm…and Ready

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By Leah Hart Tennen, Mikveh Center Director Calm is not typically a word I would use to describe myself; I’m loud, energetic, busy and have two small boys.  I have almost always worked at more than one job at a time, and, for much of my life, have been looking around the corner to see […]

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Three Dips Before the Wedding: Men and Mikveh

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Written by Rabbi Daniel Brenner At a conference on a ridiculously sunny spring day at New York University, I met a Jewish guy in his thirties who was planning on getting hitched this summer. When he heard that I was the director of a project focused on the lives of boys and men in the […]

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How to Punctuate a Transition

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Written By Aliza Kline, Founding Executive Director of Mayyim Hayyim About 10 days ago I had the opportunity to teach about Mayyim Hayyim to first-year students at the Jerusalem campus of Hebrew Union College.  I love teaching seminary students; they are eager to learn and find connections between their personal spiritual journey and Jewish practice.  […]

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