"I Have a Question," the Answer is “Yes” Part II

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by Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director Q: How do you know if you are succeeding at running a warm, welcoming, open-minded mikveh? A: You get a lot of really interesting phone calls and you love answering them. In my role as Mikveh (& Education) Director at Mayyim Hayyim, I love fielding calls because inevitably it […]

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Why I Don’t Go to the Mikveh Anymore

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by The Viking Jewess My several years-long experience observing the Jewish tradition of a married woman’s monthly immersion in the mikveh, ended abruptly and awkwardly.  It didn’t end because I had reached menopause, which would have been the natural conclusion of the ritual, but because of something more complicated: I found myself in the middle […]

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Just Dropping In

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by Lisa Dee Port White, Mikveh Guide Last week I was driving down Washington Street and decided to pull into the Mayyim Hayyim parking lot. I wanted to see if it might be possible to immerse. I have wanted to for months, thought about making an appointment, thought about dropping in, and each time, I’ve […]

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Pesach and My Gluten Free Life

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by Walt Clark, Office Manager It’s Pesach (Passover) at Mayyim Hayyim. Late last week, the staff gathered downstairs to get the kitchen ready for the upcoming holiday. As I was surrounded by the fury of cleaning, I realized that the Mayyim Hayyim kitchen had gone gluten free. I live in a gluten free household so I know the warning signs. Cake is gone. […]

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Living in the Moment, Connecting to My Past

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by Gail Kazin With the big 6-0 looming in the wings I had considered how I might celebrate this meaningful birthday.  Since neither of my parents had lived to be sixty, I looked forward to the day with tremendous gratitude and some trepidation. At some point I decided that immersion at Mayyim Hayyim was perhaps […]

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Freedom on the Other Side

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by Carrie Bornstein, Executive Director One morning at Mayyim Hayyim, the doorbell rang. I picked up on the intercom with my usual, “Hi, can I help you?” and was met with a nervous, “Hi… I, um… I wanted to get some information?” I slapped on my nametag and went downstairs to greet our guest. The […]

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Springing Forward

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by DeDe Jacobs-Komisar, Development Manager “Spring,” that mythic season of thaw and bloom, arrives this weekend. Boston has yet to be convinced. It’s 26 degrees outside as I write this, with the same three feet of snow on the ground as have been there since January. Last week it was sunny and got up to […]

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Renewed, Refreshed, Ready

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by Eliana Southworth I’ll always remember that July afternoon visit to the Trevi Fountain—the clear blue water glistening under the Roman sun while crowds of visitors, armed with cameras, stood in awe of Bernini’s masterpiece. There, my painting professor told us the legend. To get ready, you stand with your back to the fountain and […]

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"I Have a Question"…the Answer is "Yes" Part I

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By Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director Q: How do you know if you are succeeding at running a warm, welcoming, open-minded mikveh? A: You get a lot of really interesting phone calls and you love answering them. In my role as Mikveh (& Education) Director at Mayyim Hayyim, I love fielding calls because inevitably it […]

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Goodbye Purim

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by Walt Clark, Office Manager   In the throes of late evening cold snow gleaming there is left steaming food and drink and texts from years of old. And masks of costumes depicting heroes and monsters and the gurgle of bellies who are now full. There sits a frog by the pool, which is a […]

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