Zac Gondelman, Brandeis University Student, Class of ‘26 and BaRuCh Tefilah Coordinator
What happens when college students immerse at Mayyim Hayyim? They want to enable their peers to have the same powerful, connected Jewish ritual experience, too.
Last Rosh Hashana, I was part of a group of students from BaRuCh (the Reform chavurah at Brandeis University) who participated in an educational program at Mayyim Hayyim. We learned about mikveh, had the option to immerse, and filled the space with joyful spontaneous singing. My fellow students and I emerged feeling grounded, reflective, and connected in surprising ways. We knew we needed to return.
This year, with the support of Brandeis Hillel, our student leaders raised money to bring even more Brandeis students to Mayyim Hayyim. We reached out to donors, young Brandeis alumni, and friends of the community to fund our visit to Mayyim Hayyim. We wanted our peers to experience what we experienced last year, and we were going to make it happen no matter what.
The result: right before Rosh Hashana 5786, eighteen BaRuCh students immersed at Mayyim Hayyim. Each brought their own story and intention. Some were first-years reclaiming the ritual as their own; others, seniors marking a time of transition. One student told me: “This was the most transformative thing I’ve done in college—it made my spirituality feel alive.” Another remarked, “The physical nature of the ritual embodied what I’ve been feeling leading up to the holidays.”
As we enter 5786, I return to a verse from Ecclesiastes: “All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, there they return again” (Ecclesiastes 1:7). Like the waters that flow endlessly in motion, the rhythm of Jewish life carries us through change and return alike.
For me, Mayyim Hayyim is more than just a mikveh; it is a vessel for Jews seeking to turn over old chapters and emerge anew. Our partnership—between BaRuCh, Brandeis Hillel, and Mayyim Hayyim—has become a bridge between young Jews and ancient ritual, empowering a new generation to claim Jewish practice for themselves and breathe fresh life into tradition.
If you believe, as I do, in the power of immersion, transition, and restoration, I humbly ask you to support Mayyim Hayyim. Your gift sustains the beautiful space, the caring mikveh guides, the impactful educational programs, and the much-needed accessibility that makes it possible for students—and for all Jews—to step into the waters, reflect, renew, and emerge.