by Leah Hart Tennen, Mikveh Center Director Last week marked the end of my first year as a full-time employee at Mayyim Hayyim. Many have heard me joke, “If you harass people enough, they’ll hire you,” but the truth is, I am incredibly lucky to be able to pass under the sign reading “boachem l’shalom” […]
Continue ReadingBecoming a Mikveh Guide is a thoughtful and intentional process. Seth Stadfeld is a member of Cohort 8, our newest and first-ever men’s only training, and offers his thoughtful and intentional reflections about immersing in the mikveh by Seth Stadfeld, Mikveh Guide Trainee I have been wrestling with how to understand all I am learning […]
Continue Readingby Sarah Gurvis, Administrative Assistant Anyone who has spent any amount of time with children knows that they tend to ask a lot of questions. When I’m not working at Mayyim Hayyim, I work as a part time nanny for 4 wonderful and particularly inquisitive girls. Normally, the questions are of a definitive nature such […]
Continue Readingby Jody Comins, Development and Events Coordinator “Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” – Anais Nin Since I began working at Mayyim Hayyim last […]
Continue Readingby Allison Poirier Last week, on a very cold and wintry Friday morning I left my apartment in Morningside Heights to catch the subway to 74th street. I was on my way to the Upper West Side Mikveh. Along with six other women, I was on my way to a field trip planned as part […]
Continue Readingby Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried I was delighted when Rabbi Joe Brodie, the Dean of Student Life and father figure to many of us at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), agreed to officiate at my wedding. I was also anxious. Like my future spouse, Joe was fairly traditional about ritual observance, and I was embarrassed […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Berman, Education Center Director Makom kadosh. Holy space. It is what we try to create here at Mayyim Hayyim. We refer to the process as “intentional design” – the highly focused, carefully thought out selection of everything physical at Mayyim Hayyim. In our “Principles of Common Purpose,” we describe our principle of hiddur mitzvah […]
Continue Readingby Samantha Wood When I brought my daughter to Beneath the Surface, I didn’t know what to expect. Ritual Jewish immersion was something I had hardly considered, and I didn’t think I would ever be drawn to it. I didn’t know quite what the workshop would ask of us, but I wanted something to help […]
Continue Readingby Sherri Goldman, Administrative and Finance Director We never spoke about mikveh in my family. I never really thought about this until I started working at Mayyim Hayyim. At Mayyim Hayyim, mothers and daughters come to immerse for many smachot (happy occasions). Families gather to celebrate conversions and wedding immersions. Mothers pass along to […]
Continue Readingby Leah Hart Tennen, Mikveh Center Director With apologies for plagiarizing from “Rent”, I ask everyone to think about how one measures a year. “In daylight? In sunsets? In midnights? In cups of coffee?” This particular year feels a bit different, however, as I can measure it in many different ways. As my first 365 […]
Continue Readingby Sue Horowitz This November, I had the honor of debuting a song at Mayyim Hayyim‘s Tapestry: Choosing a Jewish Life event. The song, “Here I Am” was written for the ritual of conversion to Judaism. I am a singer-songwriter, frequently reinterpreting texts, psalms, prayers and Jewish ethics. I am lucky to have a writing […]
Continue Readingby Sarah Gurvis, Administrative Assistant Every year, as I’m sure most people do, I look forward to January 1st. There seems to be something magical about the beginning of a new year that we all seem to believe in. It’s the reason that New Year’s Eve is such a big deal with parties, and champagne, […]
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