The New Faces of Mayyim Hayyim

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by Lisa Berman, Mikveh & Education Director Anita Diamant says of our mikveh guides, “You are the face of Mayyim Hayyim.” It’s true. A mikveh guide literally opens the door and welcomes each guest, supporting their visit in whatever way is needed, wanted, imagined, spoken of or hinted at. This winter we have welcomed and are training […]

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A Day of Rebirth

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by Daniel Goldberg December 8th, 2015: my first mikveh experience. I’ve been Jewish all my life, but up until a few months ago I didn’t even know this ancient ritual could be practiced by men, other than for the purpose of conversion. I met Rachel Eisen, then an intern at Mayyim Hayyim, at a Jewish event […]

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A Quiet Holiness

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by Kelly Banker, Intern A few weeks ago, I was in deep need of a ritual space. I was yearning for a way to mark a rite of passage, a moment in time, with my partner (who is Christian), and yet finding something that would be meaningful for the both of us was feeling increasingly […]

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Dear Clergy: Thank You

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by Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director Summer, yet very nearly fall. Tomatoes and basil replaced by apples and honey. Cut-grass and pinot grigio segue into damp leaves, nutmeg, and zinfandel. Barbecues morph into holiday dinners. The filled up buckets of summer possibilities have been overturned and stored away and we search for that great […]

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An Unconventional Bar Mitzvah: Every Child Deserves to be Celebrated

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by Susan Arndt It’s hard to believe we just celebrated my son’s Bar Mitzvah.  Zachary was born a beautiful healthy baby, but at the age of sixteen months, he started having seizures.  Over the years, with all of the challenges he has faced being non-verbal and having developmental delays, I have always looked for ways of […]

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Life is Short

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by Ruth Oppenheim When Rabbi Klein announced a trip to Mayyim Hayyim, I signed up immediately.  I have reached an age where I am well aware of how finite life is, and I recognized an opportunity for a spiritual experience. Though I was clear that I wanted to join Temple Habonim’s visit to Mayyim Hayyim, […]

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Mem is for Mayyim

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by Pam McArthur Mayyim. It seems simple, this Hebrew word for water, mayyim.  The humming, mother-sound, the letter mem at beginning and end. The ear might hear and think a palindrome, a word the same from right to left and left to right. You might think you could go from beginning to end, then turn […]

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It's Not That Different

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Leeann Simons, Mikveh Guide From the Mayyim Hayyim vaults, written almost 9 years ago. Last night I had the privilege of being part of one woman’s healing ritual. She had been sexually assaulted by a former “good” friend, and was coming to us as part of her moving forward with her life. What I want to […]

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Our Bodies, Our Mikveh

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by DeDe Jacobs-Komisar, Development Manager This week marks my first Mayyim Hayyim “work-iversary.” When I started as Development Manager in July of 2014, the very first thing I did was observe an educational program with high school students from Genesis, a Brandeis University Jewish studies summer program for teens from all over the world. It […]

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Transmikveh

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by A. Fox In my parents’ home back in St. Paul, Minnesota, I used to tiptoe into the bathroom late at night, lock the door behind me, put a towel in the door’s crack and turn off the lights. I knew how many steps it took to reach the faucet. How many inches to lift my hand for […]

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What on Earth Are They Going to Do?

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by Ilana Snapstailer “What on earth are they going to do for two hours at a mikveh?!” asked a parent. The truth is, I was not entirely sure, but upon many recommendations, I scheduled a visit to Mayyim Hayyim with my girls. I am not yet a mother.  “My girls” refers to the group of […]

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The Weather Outside

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by DeDe Jacobs-Komisar, Development Manager Living in the Boston area, it’s hard to think about anything these days besides snow. It’s hard to believe that just twenty days ago it had only snowed five inches the entire season; now we’re buried in a collective snowfall of more than six feet that has wreaked havoc on all […]

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