On May 24, Mayyim Hayyim’s Coming Up for Air will celebrate three leaders whose boundless energy and innovative thinking keep us on the growing edge of the Jewish world. We are grateful for their partnership in helping make Mayyim Hayyim and the greater Jewish community warm and welcoming.
Sheri and Eli Gurock met in nursery school and never parted. After they graduated from Brandeis University, they settled in Boston and, in 2004, launched Magic Beans, a store beloved by parents and kids, with six stores in New England and a busy website.
Proud parents of Audrey, Mira, and Zev, they are members of both Washington Square Minyan, where Eli serves on the va’ad (board), and Congregation Kehillath Israel. Sheri has served on the boards of the Zamir Chorale of Boston and My Jewish Learning, is a member of CJP’s Jewish Learning & Engagement Commission, and volunteers as an executive coach for their Social Innovation Forum.
Says Sheri, “The first time I visited Mayyim Hayyim, I felt completely accepted for who I was.” In preparation for Audrey’s Bat Mitzvah, they signed up for Beneath the Surface, “an incredibly special program for both of us.” Sheri has marked several milestones at Mayyim Hayyim and accompanied many friends for immersions. She joined the Mayyim Hayyim board in 2012 and became President in 2016.
Eli co-chaired last year’s Soul/Life/Cycle event with Sheri, and has been an advisor on marketing and social media. “I love Mayyim Hayyim because it’s a place where you literally bring your whole self and are allowed to just be.”
Idit Klein is the founding Executive Director of Keshet, a national organization that works for full LGBTQ equality and inclusion in Jewish life. Keshet and Mayyim Hayyim, from the beginning, have been partners in building a truly inclusive Jewish world. Even before Mayyim Hayyim opened its doors, Idit and her staff designed a training curriculum for Mikveh Guides to ensure comfortable and respectful experiences for LGBTQ people. “Mayyim Hayyim was the first Jewish organization to come to Keshet seeking support on how to engage inclusively and respectfully with gender diversity and trans identity.”
Prior to leading Keshet, Idit was an activist and leader in the LGBTQ community in Israel. A magna cum laude graduate of Yale University, Idit received her Master’s in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a focus on social justice and anti-oppression education. Idit received a Joshua Venture Fellowship, was honored by the Jewish Women’s Archive with a Women Who Dared award, and was named to the Forward 50.
Nearly three years ago, Idit and her wife, Jordan, immersed at Mayyim Hayyim prior to the birth of their son. “I deeply appreciated that, as a queer couple, we knew Mayyim Hayyim was here for us. The experience was, as we knew it would be, beautiful and meaningful.”
Join us for an evening of aerial arts and mikveh stories as we raise our glasses to these outstanding leaders. RSVP or donate here.