As Beyond the Huppah 2017 approaches, we are reminded of these unique insights written and adapted by educator Judy Elkin. Imagine it. Ten couples sitting around a table, munching on Terra Chips, hummus and carrots, mixed nuts, and Peanut M&M’s; some soon-to-be married, some already married, in their late 20’s and older, gay and straight, […]
Continue Readingby Rachel Eisen, Director of Annual Giving I want to tell you an amazing story. A donor—let’s call her Susan—who received our end-of-year appeal letter went on to our website in late December to make a donation. By accident, she donated twice. When we saw this, we naturally suspected something was up. Most people don’t […]
Continue Readingby Rachel Karish, Bronfman Youth Fellow, translated from Hebrew by Daphna Ezrachi, Bronfman Educator The 21st-century world that we live in is one of constant progress and change. The industrial revolution, which began a few centuries ago following the Enlightenment, led to a technological race. In that race, human knowledge continues to grow endlessly, and we […]
Continue ReadingReposted by Mayyim Hayyim in recognition of the recent launch of “Now What?,” a post-conversion curriculum for new Jews and their partners now available for your community! by Cantor Louise Egbert Treitman I converted to Judaism almost 45 years ago and have been immersed in the Jewish world ever since. I was still in college when […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director I feel bombarded… by the news, the noise, the anger, the anxiety. I know we are all struggling to adjust the volume of our interface with our world. Sometimes we need it to be loud and in our face, to wrestle with it, move our bodies with it, […]
Continue Readingby David Schatz I only encountered Mayyim Hayyim totally by chance. On a morning jog through Auburndale, I found a Mikveh Guide name tag from Mayyim Hayyim. I emailed the office to find out what to do with the card, and Lori, the Office Manager, invited me to come by and return it. Once there, […]
Continue Readingby Sarah Bolts and Michael Chernicoff, Beyond the Huppah Participants fall 2015 Sarah: I honestly didn’t know what to expect from a pre-marriage class. I grew up in the Orthodox community, where pre-marriage classes came in the form of “kallah (bride) classes” in which a bride would learn about the laws of niddah (regular separation of […]
Continue Readingby Leah Robbins, Administrative and Marketing Assistant Every morning, I am first to arrive at Mayyim Hayyim. I am here when the building is silent and the pools still. Sometimes on my way to my desk, I peek into the atrium near the water and peer into the mikveh room. It’s quiet, the water is undisturbed. […]
Continue Readingby Rose A. Lewis The weeks and days before a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, a wedding, or any major life event can be filled with lists, errands, and let’s face it, a bit of anxiety for the entire family. As much as I tried not to embrace the tumult before my daughter Ming’s Bat Mitzvah […]
Continue Readingby Carrie Bornstein, Executive Director One year ago I wrote a post, Six Reasons I’m Psyched for 2016. It’s gratifying to reflect on it, and to see the things I imagined then right in front of me now. The Mayyim Hayyim team of staff, volunteers, and supporters has done an outstanding job of making it […]
Continue Readingby Talya Sokoll, Mikveh Guide A number of years ago, when I moved back to Boston after college in New York, I began the search for Jewish spaces that I felt comfortable and welcome in. As someone who has grown up with a plethora of Jewish experiences, I knew what I liked and what I […]
Continue ReadingExcerpts from Keeping the Faith: How Compromise, Curiosity and Tradition Guide One Interfaith Family, by Abigail Mnookin Reflections before the mikveh: For my mom’s 70th birthday this month, my brother and I are giving her an unusual gift. Her four grandchildren will be immersed in a ritual bath, or mikveh, which symbolizes their conversion to […]
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