May 2023 / Iyar 5783
Dear friend,This Mother’s Day, I’m thinking about my role as a parent and reflecting on my
surrogacy in 2017. It was an experience filled with many wonders and unknowns. That year I marked half a decade leading Mayyim Hayyim. In those years and the many before them as a staff member and Mikveh Guide, I was inspired to become a gestational carrier. I witnessed so many people—of all genders—seeking solace and healing at the mikveh in their journey to becoming parents. I kept a blog called “There’s no I in Uterus” to document my journey of carrying another couple’s baby. I chose that name because surrogacy, much like leading an organization, is a team project. Professional leadership isn’t the same as parenthood. Yet as I prepare to step down from my role as CEO of Mayyim Hayyim in June, I think about the parallels between my surrogacy experience and my Mayyim Hayyim experience. I’ve spent many years nurturing our organization’s development at a critical time of growth. Thanks to generous supporters like you, I have never felt alone. I know that Mayyim Hayyim will thrive into the future with new leadership, and with your sustained partnership. This Mother’s Day, please make a gift of $90, $180, or even $360 to Mayyim Hayyim. Your support will enable us to carry this work forward so that mothers, grandmothers, parents of all genders, and the people who love them can be spiritually nurtured at important moments in their lives. I step away knowing Mayyim Hayyim always has, and always will, belong to the community. People across the United States and around the world increasingly recognize how a welcoming, inclusive mikveh can be a powerful tool for building vibrant Jewish community. I am proud that Mayyim Hayyim is now a national organization with global reach. Mayyim Hayyim is a ‘community mikveh’ because it belongs to us all. Thank you for your partnership in raising and fostering Jewish life. L’Shalom, 
Carrie Bornstein, Chief Executive Officer