Beth Tikvah Students Weigh In

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by Wendy Gonsenhauser, Teacher at Beth Tikvah Synagogue of Westborough MA and her 5th and 6th Grade Students Every year, Mayyim Hayyim’s Education Center sees over sixty programs for youth, (and another fifty for adults).  Students come from day schools and synagogues all over the Greater Boston Area, some travelling from as far as New […]

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Reflections on Mikveh and Liberation

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by Cara Rock-Singer In Memory of Bonna Devorah Haberman z’’l, passed away June 16, 2015 On July 16, 2013, around thirty people gathered at Mayyim Hayyim for a Tisha b’Av program with Bonna Devorah Haberman z’’l  to reflect on the relevance of the historical Temple commemorations today. Tisha b’Av has come to hold layers of Jewish sadness and […]

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Judaica is Dying

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by Sarah Resnick Jenna Weissman Joselit’s recent column in The Forward “Why The Status of Judaica is Waning” wonders whether Judaica is now passé given that museums are turning away collections of intricately decorated menorahs and Kiddush cups, and invites readers to “re-engage with Judaica, if not on its own terms then as pieces of […]

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What on Earth Are They Going to Do?

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by Ilana Snapstailer “What on earth are they going to do for two hours at a mikveh?!” asked a parent. The truth is, I was not entirely sure, but upon many recommendations, I scheduled a visit to Mayyim Hayyim with my girls. I am not yet a mother.  “My girls” refers to the group of […]

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Holiness You Can Hold

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by Donna Leventhal As a member of the Mayyim Hayyim Art Committee, I am excited to introduce our “Vessels” year-long show. From September-January, “Vessels: Containing Possibilities” showcased the Raku vases of and mosaic art. Opening this Thursday and continuing through June is “Vessels: Holiness in Hand,” featuring work by glass blower Christopher Watts and porcelain […]

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Endings and Beginnings

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by Pamela Cole My first visit to Mayyim Hayyim was a beautiful May evening in 2014. I was on a ‘field trip’ with my Pathways to Judaism class and we were being introduced to what would mark the final step of our conversion process. It wasn’t the first time I had heard of Mayyim Hayyim, though. […]

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No Longer on the Outside

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by Andie Insoft, Mikveh Guide  Just a “few” years ago, when I was a teenager, if someone had told me that I would someday be a mikveh guide, I would have said they were absolutely crazy.  I grew up in a fairly traditional, Conservative, Jewish home.  We kept kosher, attended services (at least 3 times […]

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Talking in the Dark… and the Light

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by Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director It’s dark out. Cold. Inside the car we are warm and cozy, zooming along the highway. The heater vents whoosh warm air, creating a soothing white noise. My daughter sits in the passenger seat, eating her dinner from a divided plastic container – cut up chicken in one […]

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Who Are Your Teachers?

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By Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director Have you ever thought about all the teachers you’ve had in your life? Can you imagine what you would be without them? Do you remember your kindergarten teacher? First grade? My first grade teacher was Mrs. Rowbottom. Yup, Rowbottom. She ate her triangular sandwich quarters by wrapping them […]

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Infinite Vessels

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by Donna Leventhal “Vessels: Containing Possibilities,” now in the Mayyim Hayyim Gallery, emerged from the concept of the mikveh itself as a sacred vessel. Mikveh defines and creates a sacred space that is both physical and spiritual. The individual’s experience in the space is concentrated, intense, and multidimensional. As a person immerses, the water is […]

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Mikveh → Tikvah

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by Carrie Bornstein The world feels like an ugly place right now. We can’t escape the reality – all throughout the internet, on the news, on the radio, in conversations with friends – that our world is a highly imperfect place. We are in the lowest time of our liturgical year too. These weeks between […]

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