Standing on the Boundaries of Liminal Space

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by Carrie Bornstein liminal |ˈlimənl| adjective technical 1 of or relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process. 2 occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold. I live in a world of liminal space. And not only because I work at a mikveh. The mikveh, of course, […]

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So Future Rabbi…

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by Joseph Gindi My recent move back to Boston to begin rabbinical school has really felt like coming home.  I had previously interned at Mayyim Hayyim, so when Lisa Berman, the Mikveh and Education Director, invited me to come back and volunteer as a Mikveh Guide, I decided to get in the water myself to mark the […]

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Weaning the Mother

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by Rabbi Haviva Ner David I arrived home last night to Israel, where I live with my husband and seven children. We were all in the U.S. to visit family, and I stayed on for a short book tour for my new memoir. It was an intense three weeks of 24/7 family bonding and little […]

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Who Are Your Teachers?

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By Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director Have you ever thought about all the teachers you’ve had in your life? Can you imagine what you would be without them? Do you remember your kindergarten teacher? First grade? My first grade teacher was Mrs. Rowbottom. Yup, Rowbottom. She ate her triangular sandwich quarters by wrapping them […]

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From the Dry Side to the Wet

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by Caroline Potter I always found something special and appealing about Jewish culture and community. In my late teens and early 20’s, it came to my more immediate attention that people did convert to Judaism, and I made this decision myself in September 2012. My own religious background is Presbyterian/Episcopalian. I attended an Episcopal grade school […]

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November Transitions

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by Sherri Goldman, Administrative and Finance Director November can be a tough month. The month begins with a transition to longer nights and shorter amounts of daylight. Saying goodbye to the sun can leave many people feeling depressed and sad. There can be a tendency to hibernate, causing us to sleep and eat more. Very tough […]

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Forbidden Waters

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By Chaya What do the mikveh, Orthodox Jews, and sex addiction have to do with one another? As an Orthodox woman, and a member of S-Anon, I can safely say that they are deeply intertwined. S-Anon, modeled on 12-step fellowships like Al-Anon, is a support program for spouses, partners, and others affected by another person’s sex […]

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Sue Coat?

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by Walton Clark, Office Assistant I have an app on my phone called Duolingo. It’s a free language learning app that teaches you a language through taking quizzes. As you take the quizzes new material is introduced with simple questions. As I considered what I wanted to write about for this blog post, I thought about how […]

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A Letter of Thanks

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by Rene Katersky This letter was sent to us by Rene, a long-time mikveh guide and educator, following the “Get Ready: Releasing the Past, Embracing the Future” program that Mayyim Hayyim ran before the High Holidays this year: My favorite local beach beckons, with its sparsely inhabited sand, picturesque beauty, and crystal clear waves lapping the shore; a perfect […]

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The Special Sauce of Innovation: A Decade in the Slingshot Guide

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by Carrie Bornstein It’s Slingshot release day – one of my favorites each year. Mayyim Hayyim is celebrating our inclusion in the guide once again as well as being featured in their supplement on Women and Girls. And this time around we’ve hit a special milestone: ten years in a row of being included in the guide. […]

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Mayyim Hayyim: Who Needs It?

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by DeDe Jacobs-Komisar, Development Manager ISIS. Israel/Gaza. Climate change. Rampant inequality and poverty. Women’s reproductive rights being chipped away. Oh yeah, and an Ebola epidemic. We’re living in pretty troubling times, and that’s not even taking into account the challenges we sometimes have being good family members, friends, and colleagues. Or just getting through the […]

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Harvesting the Power of Mikveh

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by Naomi Malka There is so much sechel, or wisdom, in the Jewish calendar. I love that our year ends with the conclusion of summer and the entry of fall.  We’ve celebrated, davenned, and fasted, but this week we’re taking the party outdoors.  Sukkot recalls the harvest season in ancient Israel, when the land was so […]

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