by Amber Caulkins, Director of the Rising Tide Open Waters Mikveh Network I’ve been to the mikveh for many important moments in my life: for traditional reasons (converting, before my wedding), and other times for reasons like starting a new career or embarking on a move across the country. These experiences were all meaningful in […]
Continue Readingby Shirah Hecht Yaakov awoke from his sleep, and said, In truth, [the Glory of] Adonoy is [dwells] in this place, and I did not know it [would not have known it]. Mikveh and Embodied Judaism Mikveh and I encountered each other a few times in my life, always with positive associations. I first went to the mikveh before my wedding, at age 22, […]
Continue Readingby Leeza Negelev, Associate Director of Education Memories are strange. They vanish and reappear in unpredictable ways. Sometimes their natural habitat is our solitary and unconscious mind; other times, a shared moment with a friend. We tend to memories in our dreams, in an unexpected wave of nostalgia, and at the dinner table. As Jews, […]
Continue Readingby Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein, Mikveh Guide At Mayyim Hayyim, we are grateful to Margaret for her bravery in speaking up about sexual assault. Read her story, learn about how she used mikveh as part of her healing process, and consider a donation so that Mayyim Hayyim can continue to be there for survivors. The […]
Continue Readingby Leeza Negelev, Associate Director of Education Each year, as Rosh Hashanah approaches I hear a lot of people say, “I don’t feel ready.” Or, “The chaggim (holidays) just came out of nowhere. Are they early this year?” I include myself in this Greek chorus. Amidst high holiday planning, schools start, traffic gets 90% worse, and […]
Continue Readingby Anonymous For many years after Mayyim Hayyim opened, I tried to figure out how and when I’d experience my own first mikveh story. Moments came and went. I thought, maybe when I turn 50? Menopause? Last kid graduates from high school? Youngest graduates from college? How about becoming a grandma? Somehow, I was never […]
Continue Readingby Rachel Silverman I walked into Mayyim Hayyim apprehensive and excited. I had read an article and explored the website, but it was not until entering the building that I finally understood what all the fuss was about. I was welcomed by a gate saying, “Come in Peace,” followed by a beautiful path through a […]
Continue Readingby 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 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 Carrie Bornstein, Executive Director The last time I wrote for this blog I was preparing to deliver a baby as a gestational surrogate, for a Jewish couple from London. So, yeah… that happened. On September 28, 2017 I delivered a 6 lb., 10 oz. baby girl – you can read the whole birth story […]
Continue Readingby Esther Sadie Brandon I am now a breast cancer survivor. In the summer of 2015, an immersion at Mayyim Hayyim was my medium to mark the transition from being in treatment to healing. The words Refuah Sh’leimah can be interpreted as a prayer for wholeness. Integration is the neurological process of bringing together differentiated […]
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