Dear Friend,
I am writing to share important and bittersweet news with you. After fifteen years on staff and nearly eleven years serving as
CEO of Mayyim Hayyim, Carrie Bornstein has decided to step down from that role in summer 2023.
Since 2006, Carrie has been a pillar of the Mayyim Hayyim community, first as a volunteer Mikveh Guide, then as Assistant Director, and most recently as CEO. I feel tremendous gratitude for the ways Carrie has led Mayyim Hayyim as we became a pioneering organization rooted in Boston and nationally recognized. Under her leadership, Mayyim Hayyim has fostered vital programs that inspire Jewish communities around the world. She has also nourished a culture of care and inclusivity that is admired by diverse stakeholders—rabbis, educators, funders, and activists—in Boston and beyond.
The executive committee is mapping out a leadership transition plan, which will include a national search for Carrie’s successor. We will keep you apprised of our progress during the coming months. We are planning a thoughtful, productive, and organized process that will position Mayyim Hayyim for continued success.
If you have questions, suggestions, or concerns, please do not hesitate to email transition@mayyimhayyim.org. And please read the enclosed message from Carrie.
Later in the year, we will celebrate Carrie for all she has given to Mayyim Hayyim. For now, please join me in thanking Carrie for her dedication, hard work, and extraordinary contributions.
Warmly,
Elisha Gechter, Board President
Dear Friend,
It has been the honor of a lifetime to lead Mayyim Hayyim and I am exceptionally proud of our accomplishments during my
tenure. Since I entered this position the size of our organization has nearly doubled; I have been blessed to spearhead the transition to becoming a national organization and create the Rising Tide Open Waters Mikveh Network (now with 35 member communities in 6 countries). It’s been especially meaningful to have made such an impact on the Greater Boston Jewish community, where we have hosted 17,160 immersions and run 1,152 education programs so far during my time as CEO. Our staff, board members, volunteer Mikveh Guides, lay leadership, clergy, and donors have been a joy to work with; our success has truly been a team effort.
Mikveh is becoming a sought-after resource for marking Jewish and secular life transitions and other spheres of the Jewish community draw inspiration from our work. The Mayyim Hayyim staff and board are incredibly talented and are well-positioned to continue and deepen our impact. While I don’t yet know what my professional future holds, I am looking forward to writing the next chapter of my career building on all that I have learned in my time with Mayyim Hayyim.
I am assisting the board of directors as they begin the search for a new CEO and will help to ensure a smooth transition in any way I can, as our Founding Executive Director, Aliza Kline, and Founding Board President, Anita Diamant, so skillfully did for me.
As it says in our official name, Mayyim Hayyim is a community mikveh, so much bigger than any one person. I have full confidence in its future.
Please know how grateful I am for your being part of the Mayyim Hayyim community, and for your past, current, and future support.
L’Shalom,
Carrie Bornstein, CEO