The New York Community Mikveh Project

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by Sara Luria The week before my New York wedding, I boarded a train at Penn Station, Boston-bound, to immerse at Mayyim Hayyim. I was flustered and hurried, as brides often are in those logistics-packed pre-wedding days. The instructions in the prep rooms at the mikveh gently urged me to slow down, to reflect, and […]

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An International and Multicultural Ritual Immersion

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by Gaby Zwiebach My family roots stem both from Peru and from Mexico. The cultures of these two countries have always had a strong influence in my life and in the life of my two older sisters, and eventually in the lives of our respective children. The three of us were born in Mexico to […]

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On Winter's Spring

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by Katherine Trakhtenbroit I hail from a land currently crisped by drought. There are great stretches of live oak trees and loblolly pines along the bayou; when I was small they were thick with glossy leaves and pungent needles. Now, it’s all orange and brown and parched. So, down there, we know deeply the transformative […]

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Am I Jewish?

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by Stephan Lewy I was born in Berlin, Germany, and had a Protestant mother and a Jewish father. My parents agreed that a boy would be raised Jewish and a girl, Protestant. My birth was in a Jewish hospital, which still exists today. If both of my parents had been Jewish, my life would not […]

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An Important Connection

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By Ron and Brian Olshansky-Lucero Mayyim Hayyim has been an important part of our lives for the last two years. Our connection to Mayyim Hayyim began with Ron’s beit din and immersion for his conversion. We were very blessed that Ron’s sponsoring rabbi knew about Mayyim Hayyim and that he chose this special place for […]

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Dreaming of the Mikveh

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By Hannah White I have long dreamt of my first dip in the mikveh. When I interned at Mayyim Hayyim a few years ago, I often found myself pausing in the midst of a project to listen to the joyful sounds coming from downstairs. It was as if the singing floated up to the offices, […]

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Learning to Pray for Myself

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By Ceceley Chambers, Cohort 7 Mikveh Guide A dear friend of mine wanted to celebrate the anniversary of her conversion with a trip to Mayyim Hayyim, so I made an appointment for myself as well. Honestly, I didn’t really have a reason to immerse, although there were some transitions going on in my life. I […]

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Safety, Mikveh, and More

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By Rabbi Gail Diamond A recent visit from Aliza Kline of Mayyim Hayyim to the Conservative Yeshiva in Israel brought up a kind of intense and weird nostalgia and homesickness in me. When Aliza arrived at my work, she called to ask about parking. I said I’d meet her outside and when I got there, […]

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What's Your Water Story?

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By Lisa Berman, Paula Brody & Family Education Center Director at Mayyim Hayyim and “Cape Cod Girl” In a recent class at Mayyim Hayyim, I asked a group of adults to recount a memorable encounter they’d had with water – positive or negative – that evoked an emotional response at the time. I was hoping […]

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Queer Submersions

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By Gabriella Spitzer You may have seen my earlier post asking for mikveh stories from queer/LGBT-identified people. Thank you for those of you who responded to my survey! I was doing research for my final project in my Thinking Sexuality class this past semester, and I am excited to share with you some of what […]

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Special Events

Stitching The Years Together

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by Pam McArthur On Friday afternoons, the week begins to fall behind me, its sticky fingers of busyness letting go, one by one. On Friday afternoons, the joyful promise of Shabbat fills the air as the sun dips low to the horizon. On Friday afternoons, you’ll most likely find me at Mayyim Hayyim. Here, the […]

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Carrie Bornstein

Celebrating 10,000

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Written by Carrie Bornstein It happened. With balloons, family, pictures, and laughter. Our ten thousandth immersion. Ten thousand. Just the sound of it is impressive.  I’ll say it again: ten thousand. One-by-one we counted. Reaching such a milestone, we can’t help but reflect.  What does it mean for a mikveh to have touched so many […]

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