by Leeza Negelev, Associate Director of Education Last August, my family and I broke our Aunt Ria out of the nursing home to celebrate her 90th birthday. We took her to a nearby park, where we set out a feast of Russian food and regaled her with songs and stories. When it came time to […]
Continue Readingby Gail Sacco I am a 64-year-old Conservative Jew, and I love that being Jewish means I have the opportunity to continually learn and enrich my life. In 2010, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy and radiation because the cells were primarily in situ, meaning they were just beginning to […]
Continue Readingby Amber Caulkins, Director of Rising Tide Mikveh Network Telling my own story can be a challenge. I love to tell other people’s stories (I studied journalism in undergrad, after all), but sharing what has been most meaningful in my own life takes practice. Fortunately, working at Mayyim Hayyim to support the development of our […]
Continue ReadingAn oldie but goodie – reshared from March 2017 by Wendy Handler, Mikveh Guide A friend recently sent me an email that said, “Keep calm and carry on… spring is coming!” with a beautiful picture of budding flowers in my favorite colors. The message did little to soothe my nerves. Spring is coming… translation: Passover […]
Continue Readingby Rachel Eisen, Director of Annual Giving No, this is not fundraising pitch. I really just want to talk to you about money. (But if you’re interested…) My husband, Nate, and I have lived together for almost four years. But until about a year ago, we’d never had a household budget that we followed, tracked, […]
Continue Readingby Carrie Bornstein, Executive Director “Just raise your hand if you need an extra blanket,” my restorative yoga teacher said slowly, “or another block, or maybe some hands-on support. I’m here to spoil you rotten tonight, if there’s anything at all that you need.” “What would you like to order? Let’s start here: What do […]
Continue ReadingOriginally posted on February 29, 2016 by Ilana Snapstailer When I brought my 7th grade Rosh Hodesh group to Mayyim Hayyim, we learned about the aquatic lift meant to help someone with a disability use the mikveh. When Mikveh and Education Director, Lisa Berman, asked the girls, “Why might someone with a disability use the mikveh?” […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director “Supervising and supporting Volunteer Mikveh Guides.” This is what is says in my job description. Sounds pretty straightforward. And, we have 85 active Mikveh Guides: 85 unique individuals who were trained 4 months to 14 years ago (with ongoing continuing education and weekly suggestions and tips to reinforce […]
Continue Readingby Bryan Mann I came to immerse after standing with a group of clergy against white supremacy in Charlottesville during the “Unite the Right” march. I have never experienced trauma like this and am so grateful Mayyim Hayyim could offer a space to begin the healing process. Thank you so much! “Thank you” feels so […]
Continue Readingby Leeza Negelev, Associate Director of Education What makes any space Jewish in particular? Imagine an abandoned synagogue in Europe, now preserved for travelers and tourists. Is it a Jewish space if it isn’t being used for tefillah (prayer)? What about a ritual object? Is a kiddush cup really a kiddush cup if it is […]
Continue Readingby Dr. William Kates After 53 years of practicing clinical psychiatry – almost exclusively around the long term psychotherapeutic treatment of adults – I decided to retire. I looked forward to this time with a mixture of hope and worry: hope that not having the responsibilities for patients would leave me open to other, less […]
Continue Readingby Leah Robbins, Administrative and Marketing Assistant If you know me at all, you know that I’ve always got feminism on the brain, but our current political moment has my hair on fire. Suffering has reached unfathomable highs, and our threshold for the basics of compassion, unfathomable lows. I can’t control violent policy, I can’t […]
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