Giving Thanks to Mayyim Hayyim

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by Carrie Bornstein, Executive Director Last week a 12-year old girl decided to immerse at Mayyim Hayyim prior to becoming a Bat Mitzvah. As is the often the case, she led the way by bringing in her step-mother and grandparents, all of whom were skeptical about visiting a mikveh. Resolute in her plans, she calmly […]

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My Life in Snapshots at Mayyim Hayyim

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by Jenna Margolis I was little when my cousin converted to Judaism, but I distinctly remember watching my aunt hold her own breath as she released her new baby into the water. After several dunks in the Mayyim Hayyim mikveh, the child was Jewish, according to our rabbi. My family rejoiced, my aunt breathed again, […]

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Reflections on “Water Wonders” For Families with Children Grades K-2

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by Susan Morrel, Jewish Educator for Mayyim Hayyim’s “Water Wonders”  I am often astounded by the questions early elementary school children ask. They are so full of wonder and curiosity, seeing the world through a lens of awe, fascination, and joy. Not surprisingly, they love to learn about the natural world, particularly water, a mysterious and […]

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60 Teenagers Fill Mayyim Hayyim

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by Leeza Negelev, Associate Director of Education Last week, Gann Academy brought over sixty Israeli and American teenagers to learn at Mayyim Hayyim. We set up stations located throughout our first floor, each one exploring an aspect of our particular mikveh, for the purpose of a big-picture conversation about how to welcome people into a […]

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The Kids are All Right – Thanks to You

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October 2016/ Tishrei 5777 Enough with the hand-wringing about the Jewish future. The kids are all right—and then some. You want proof? Listen to Mayyim Hayyim’s young visitors. Listen to Ira, who immersed before his bar mitzvah: This has been one of the most meaningful, spiritual, serene, and overall       amazing experiences I’ve […]

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A Visit to Mayyim Hayyim, A Nondenominational Mikveh

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By Nora Smolonsky *This post originally appeared in Fresh Ideas from HBI, the blog of the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. As someone who is not a practicing Jew, I felt reservations before going to Mayyim Hayyim, a mikveh in Newton, MA. To be honest, I was not entirely sure what a mikveh was. I was worried that […]

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De-fogging

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by David Berman I’ve immersed at Mayyim Hayyim three times: once before my Bar Mitzvah, once before I left for a semester in Israel when I was a sophomore in high school, and once last September before a gap year program in Israel. Going to Mayyim Hayyim when I was 13 was my mother’s idea. […]

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Ema? Thanks for Bringing Me to the Mikveh.

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by Carrie Bornstein Someone recently asked me, “Why Mikveh? What’s the point? Why does it matter?” Here’s the story I told: My 9-year old daughter just left for a month at sleep-away camp last week for the first time. In preparation for this big change, I asked Ellie if she’d like to go to the […]

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Preparing for High School

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by Eytan Weiner Due to the fact that I am a 14 year old boy going into high school, every decision affects my social status. Regardless of how big or small a choice I make, “life changing” things can happen, based on what table I sit at, what food I eat, and who I choose to […]

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“Because nothing should come between you and the experience.”

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by Lisa Berman, Mikveh & Education Director Picture a small, sunlit-filled atrium filled with 22 wiggly eleven-year-old boys and girls. They’ve just been darting in and out of mikveh preparation rooms, opening closets, peeking in cabinets and behind shower curtains, flinging themselves on the tiled floor to dip their fingers in the warm mikveh water. […]

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Learn to Swim

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by Shira Cohen-Goldberg It started when my son was two. In a very busy preschool room, he’d run into a corner, cover his ears, and scream. When we replaced his crib with a toddler bed, he stopped sleeping.  When we finally got him to start sleeping again, he needed to be wrapped in blankets, situated in […]

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Intimidated No More

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by Allison Schnipper I recently had the opportunity to visit Mayyim Hayyim for the first time. My son’s 6th grade Hebrew School class from Temple Sinai of Sharon visited as part of their life cycle curriculum. Kids, parents, and teachers piled onto a school bus and traveled together to learn about the mikveh and see […]

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