by Emilia Diamant Last week at a planning meeting for the Girls Night Out event, I was asked to respond to the question: “Why do you want a mikveh?” Many in the room shared answers about their personal immersions, family experiences, or just generally liking the idea of the place. When it came my turn, […]
Continue Readingby Rabbi Sarah Tasman For the past number of years, immersing in the waters of the mikveh has been an important part of my transition into the new year. Immersing before Rosh Hashanah in previous years felt very natural, an extension of the images of rebirth and renewal, of creation, and of the world coming […]
Continue Readingby Jessica Lang Kosa My daughter Evelyn was born underwater. Soon afterwards, we collected rainwater for her naming ceremony, and washed her feet in living water as we welcomed her to family and community. Three years later, the two of us immersed together, marking her weaning, and welcoming a new stage of her life […]
Continue Readingby Laura Seide, Former Mayyim Hayyim Intern There was a marked difference between my first dip and my second. Preparing for my first dip, I took my time. I wanted to make sure I did everything right. I was nervous; worried that, while in the water, I wouldn’t immerse my body completely, worried that I […]
Continue Readingby Samantha Testa, Development Intern On my first day of my internship at Mayyim Hayyim it was pouring rain. As I was greeted by staff, I remarked that I hated the rain. Leah’s response effectively changed the way I think about rain. Leah said that she, too, didn’t like the rain, but after working […]
Continue Readingby Debbie Issokson, Mikveh Guide I recently returned from a trip to Spain, a country filled with Jewish history, most of it buried, hidden or wiped out of sight since the Spanish Inquisition of the 1400’s. Ubeda was one of our destinations, a small town in the Andalucia region. As I explored TripAdvisor, I found […]
Continue ReadingBy Leah Hart Tennen, Mikveh Center Director Since Mayyim Hayyim opened nine years ago (Happy 9th birthday, Mayyim Hayyim!) over 1000 people have chosen to immerse before their wedding. For some, a bridal immersion is the first of what will become a regular niddah (monthly) practice. For others, it’s a one-time event to mark a […]
Continue Readingby Dr. Naomi Marmon Grumet Today we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim (the day Jerusalem was reunified in 1967), and the miracle of sovereignty over the wondrous city of Jerusalem. I think that sharing this blog about a program that emanates from Jerusalem is a wonderful way to celebrate! Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows about […]
Continue Readingby Britni de la Cretaz When we were beginning to plan our wedding, Ben and I began researching Jewish wedding traditions to see which ones felt meaningful to us. We were both raised Jewish and we were both bar mitzvahed (or bat mitzvahed, in my case), but neither one of us consider ourselves to be […]
Continue Readingby Michael Franck One Jewish life. Two beautiful Jewish children. That is what mikveh has given me. I have been reflecting on this lately because of Mayyim Hayyim’s upcoming spring benefit event, Men, Mikveh, and Malt, which I am helping to plan. Thinking about the event, and about what Mayyim Hayyim means, has made me […]
Continue Readingby Laura Seide, intern There is a very popular urban legend that an elderly male rabbi once stood up at synagogue and, addressing a female presenter, said “A woman belongs on the bima like an orange belongs on a seder plate.” From that day forward, women everywhere have been placing oranges on their seder plates […]
Continue Readingby Rabbi Lev Baesh Twice now, I have had the pleasure of celebrating weddings at Mayyim Hayyim, immediately following conversion with a Beit Din and immersion. The first couple came from Canada with parents and a brother. I had worked with her toward conversion via Skype and they wanted to complete her conversion at the […]
Continue ReadingSearch
