Exhilarated! That’s how we feel when a group of 20, 30, or 40 students walk out the door of the Paula Brody & Family Education Center at the conclusion of one of our 115+ programs each year. We love opening up minds about what mikveh can be, changing long-held opinions, and engaging in spirited discussions. But how do we know whether we’ve done a good job? We take evaluation seriously, so each adult participant has a chance to tell us via an online survey. Here’s a peek into the results with some recent testimonials:
On behalf of the Men’s Club, thank you so much for an extraordinary educational experience. As you were aware, many of our male colleagues were somewhat cynical about the thought of men going to a mikveh, but all 15 came away inspired and thankful for exposure to this potential life changing event. At our follow-up luncheon meeting, there was much praise for your excellent educational and contagious presentation. Some even expressed a desire to inform fellow synagogue members (10 different synagogues) of their experience and reflect on their own personal lives and reasons to re-visit Mayyim Hayyim.
Thank you again for sharing, Burt M.
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Dear Lisa, What a pleasure to have you teach my “Informal Jewish Education” graduate class at Brandeis yesterday. I am pretty sure the students learned a lot because I know I did. Your talk stimulated for me all kinds of interesting questions about what prepares a person to take the risk of immersing for the first time and why and when that proves highly significant? I felt my head buzzing all day. That is thanks to you, a wonderful teacher. Please come back again in future years. Todah rabba, Joe R.
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Dear Lisa, The chaplains from Hospice of the North Shore and Greater Boston who attended your tour yesterday have all made a point of letting me know how much they appreciated it and how deeply moved they were by the work of Mayyim Hayyim. To a person, they were touched, impressed and informed. One has already identified a patient he thinks would benefit from an immersion. Thank you so very, very much. I look forward to many opportunities to collaborate with you in the future. Peace, Rev. Rona T.
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Dear Lisa, Thank you so much for coordinating a wonderful field trip for us at Mayyim Hayyim this past week. Our students learned so much and it was a great kick-off to our unit on mikvah. It was amazing how much information stuck with the students, how they really internalized it, and how they considered whether this would be a ritual they would ever consider. When we debriefed on Friday, in class, the students reviewed what they learned at Mayyim Hayyim and came up with some creative stories or songs about someone who used the mikvah. –Nechama M., 6th gr teacher Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston
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I thought the program was very well done and engaging for 7th graders (not one’s easiest audience). I learned a lot myself as a parent – realizing I didn’t know much about the mikvah and its traditional and more recent purposes.
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At the Education Program I learned that it is possible to breathe new life into a ritual that has a bad reputation among liberal Jews. Also, that Mayyim Hayyim is a resource that is truly a gift to the Boston community and I wish I would remember it for marking transitions in my own life.
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Through the program I learned that Mayyim Hayyim is so inclusive and respects all streams of Judaism.
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