The Strangest of Places

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by Jim Billings, Mikveh Guide Do you ever wonder where life might be taking you? Life’s journeys are usually full of ups and downs, twists and turns and paths unexpected, and sometimes we end up in the strangest of places. Approximately 30 years ago I converted to Judaism. I said the Shema (a prayer that […]

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Making Music at the Mikveh

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by Jim Ball, Mikveh Guide Music and Mayyim Hayyim are no strangers to one another. As a mikveh guide, I have heard how musical accompaniment is part of the immersion experience, whether it’s the singing and clapping of “Siman tov u’ Mazel tov” following a conversion, or a quiet recording setting the mood for a […]

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My First Witnessed Immersion

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by Sidney Davis, Mikveh Guide My first witnessed immersion experience at Mayyim Hayyim was a remarkably extraordinary event. Personally, it was an affirmation of my role as a mikveh guide. I volunteered to become a mikveh guide because I wanted to take a more active role within my Jewish community that reflected not only my […]

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The Fluidity of Mikveh

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by Jordan Braunig, Hebrew College Intern In an education class that I was taking a couple of years ago at Hebrew College’s Rabbinical School, an instructor assigned us the seemingly benign task of watching a few child-development videos on YouTube.  I’m as busy as the next guy and appreciated having an assignment that I could […]

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Making the Mikveh Mine

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by Jim Ball, Mikveh Guide, Cohort 6a I’ve been a mikveh guide for about a year. Because I work from my house and can make my own hours, I’ve been called on often for the many men who have used Mayyim Hayyim for a variety of reasons: upcoming weddings, conversions, bar mitzvahs, and marking special […]

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Top 10 Reasons to Be a Volunteer Mikveh Guide

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Written by Carrie Bornstein Shortly after Mayyim Hayyim opened in 2004, I remember the nervous excitement I felt opening the email inviting applications for volunteer Mikveh Guides.  “Would they accept me,” I thought?  “Do I have what it takes?” Incidentally, it all worked out okay. Little did any of us who became Mikveh Guides know, […]

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Training a Male Mikveh Guide: a reflection

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As a Male Mikveh Guide you are about to embark on a marvelous journey through uncharted waters. You will become, with a little patients and practice, the “Mikveh Lady” for your male peers. During the first part of the training you will learn a great deal about the rules of contact between a man and […]

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