Mikveh and the State: Who Decides Who's In and Who's Out?

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Written by Aliza Kline, Executive Director Mikveh is in the news here in Israel. Not regarding the battle of allowing Reform and Conservative clergy to bring conversion candidates to the mikveh – though that’s still ongoing in the courts. This is a new case that could have far reaching consequences – though for me it […]

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Maybe God

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by Lisa Berman, Education Center Director Picture this: a sixth grader, participating in an education program at Mayyim Hayyim, responds to the question “who do you think might accompany someone when they are at or in the mikveh?” He answers: “No one. Well, maybe God.” Both of these 2 very brief statements are fascinating to […]

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The Words on Our Gates

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By Stepheny Riemer, Member of Mayyim Hayyim’s Art Committee The words “Come in Peace” and “Go in Peace,” in English and Hebrew, now appear on the        archway to Mayyim Hayyim, completing the entryway to a special haven. The signs mark a destination and an immersion experience that has the power to heighten the […]

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The Transcendent Powers of Mikveh

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Written by Rabbi Scott Rosenberg For me, there is something extremely humbling about immersion in a mikveh. The idea of mikveh and the transcendent powers of mayyim hayyim, living waters, have always evoked within me a sense of reverence and awe.  The link to creation, the notion of rebirth, the existential tension between purity and […]

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Bringing the Waters Together: Mikveh Construction & Maintenance Training

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 Written by Rabbi Joshua Heller As a the senior rabbi of a B’nai Torah, a growing Conservative-affiliated congregation, I’m called upon to wear many “kippot:” teacher of Torah, pastoral counselor, Judaic scholar,  administrator, fundraiser, ersatz (substitute) cantor, occasionally even software debugger. Fortunately, I can point to a part of my rabbinical school training that prepared […]

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A Pluralistic Approach to Studying an Ancient Concept

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Written by Amy Chartock, National Programs Director Two weeks ago, Carrie and I packed up and flew across the country to gather for a very specialized training focusing on the construction and maintenance of kosher mikvaot.  A dedicated group of fourteen people came together from Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego, Raleigh, New Orleans, Atlanta Baltimore, […]

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Learning in Partnership

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Written by Rabbi Claudia Kreiman Every year, I am honored to sponsor a few candidates for conversion. As a rabbi, accompanying a person on their path into Judaism is one of the most profound experiences I encounter. I learn from candidates, from their questions and struggles. Their perspectives and experiences enrich my own and open […]

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Talking Mikveh in Jerusalem

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Written by Aliza Kline This year, for my sabbatical in Israel, my family and I deliberately chose not to live in Jerusalem. My husband Bradley and I have both lived there for at least two years and we hoped for a different kind of Israel experience. We also were just exhausted by the constant meshugas […]

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Bat Mitzvah Mania

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Written by Lisa Berman Oh to be a 12 year old girl these days. No, not because of all the Justin Bieber look-alikes in their classes, though surely that doesn’t hurt. And yes, being a 5th, 6th, or 7th grade girl is still rife with challenges – academic, social, sports, bullying, peer pressure, etc. Add […]

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Mayyim Hayyim's First Born

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Written by Anita Diamant There’s a new mikveh in Raleigh! I was in North Carolina a few weeks ago and Rabbi Jenny Solomon gave us a tour – “us” being me, my husband Jim, who is a Mayyim Hayyim mikveh guide, and my daughter Emilia, who was a Mayyim Hayyim intern long before we opened […]

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The Secret of the Sea

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Written by Miriam Anzovin “Would’st thou,”—so the helmsman answered, “Learn the secret of the sea? Only those who brave its dangers Comprehend its mystery!”                                                                                                                    -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Secret of the Sea Last summer, right after the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, I swam in the ocean for the first […]

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