by Leah Hart Tennen My very basic introduction to mikveh was: “this is something that Orthodox Jews do, mostly women after their periods.” The first person I ever knew who went to the mikveh was an Orthodox Jew who went after her period. Fast forward many, many years and one of my closest friends asked […]
Continue ReadingBy Leann Shamash So much of what is written in Parshat Metzora, this week’s Torah portion, concerning blood and emissions still lives on to this day. Who would think that a parsha which details bodily emissions would spur a tradition of mikveh, with water a liquid vehicle to heal and transform? Mayyim Hayyim has taken […]
Continue Readingby Amy Fleming I’m doing okay during this COVID-19 shutdown. My geographically scattered family members are healthy. We’re aware that we are very fortunate. But like everyone else, I long for life to return “back to normal.” I miss the structure and routine of volunteering every Wednesday at Mayyim Hayyim, which I’ve been doing for […]
Continue Readingby Leeza Negelev, Associate Director of Education Every year, Mayyim Hayyim offers our hard-working Mikveh Guides a small token of our gratitude by hosting an evening of Mikveh Guide Appreciation. The event is often held at a board member’s home and the night is always filled with shmoozing, champagne, dessert, and some kind of learning […]
Continue Readingby Rachel Eisen, Director of Development and Acting Executive Director “Let me get that for you!” I had, as I am wont to do, dropped something. I was walking out of a meeting I’d had in Mayyim Hayyim’s Beit Din room. I was heading upstairs to my desk, and I was carrying two notebooks, a […]
Continue ReadingBy Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director More than 14 years ago, several remarkable women envisioned and created the role of Mayyim Hayyim’s Mikveh Guides. An evolution of the “mikveh lady,” our Guides are knowledgeable without being judgmental, empathetic without prying, compassionate or dispassionate — as the guest needs. While our focus is always on […]
Continue Readingby Rebecca Sher My eldest daughter got married in late September a few days after Yom Kippur. She was the one who encouraged me to experience my first mikveh at Mayyim Hayyim the summer of 2005, eleven months after my mother passed away. We had just moved back to the Boston area after living in […]
Continue ReadingOriginally posted January 28, 2015 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 […]
Continue ReadingBy Carole Greenfield, Mikveh Guide The other day, on my way to yoga class, and again the next morning, I saw a woman playing a piano. Outside. I watched her work the pedals and press the keys, her fingers moving confidently. She didn’t look up. I didn’t interrupt her. I have seen one or two other […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director Mayyim Hayyim’s Mikveh Guides are the face of our organization. They are solely responsible for the in-person experience of those who come to immerse. Entrusted with this sacred task, they rise to the occasion each day, shepherding guests through their visits beautifully. Each one is a volunteer — […]
Continue Readingby Naomi Sobel, Mikveh Guide If you ask Hallmark, June is wedding season. In my immediate family, June is a roller-coaster: we have three yartzheits (anniversary of one’s death), two birthdays (on the same day!), plus Father’s Day. At Mayyim Hayyim, it’s peak season for conversions – we have 25 conversion immersions scheduled just this month. […]
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 […]
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