By Sherri Goldman, Administrative Director at Mayyim Hayyim I didn’t even realize I was crying. I was in temple during High Holy Day services years ago, listening to the Rosh Hashanah Torah portion of Sarah’s pain and anguish about not being able to get pregnant-the lament of a barren woman. Then came the Haftorah portion […]
Continue ReadingBy Ceceley Chambers, Cohort 7 Mikveh Guide A dear friend of mine wanted to celebrate the anniversary of her conversion with a trip to Mayyim Hayyim, so I made an appointment for myself as well. Honestly, I didn’t really have a reason to immerse, although there were some transitions going on in my life. I […]
Continue ReadingBy Aliza Kline, Second to last post as Mayyim Hayyim’s Founding Executive Director Not everyone gets this kind of chance – to build from the ground up, then watch from afar, then come back to receive praise, and then to move on with confidence. “It’s not often that you get to thank someone for really […]
Continue ReadingBy Harry and Elaine Wayne When we were planning our wedding 63 years ago, an Orthodox Jewish girlfriend gave us an engagement gift: a book explaining mikveh. The obvious purpose of the author was to encourage use of the mikveh ritual, including instructions on building one’s own in-home mikveh from a TV cabinet. Contrary to […]
Continue ReadingBy Julia Becker Collins, Director of Community Engagement I have often felt that much of my adult life has been about transitions. In the past 13 years I have lived in 3 different states across the country, and with every move I searched for a way to answer the question I saw posed by my […]
Continue ReadingBy Rabbi Gail Diamond A recent visit from Aliza Kline of Mayyim Hayyim to the Conservative Yeshiva in Israel brought up a kind of intense and weird nostalgia and homesickness in me. When Aliza arrived at my work, she called to ask about parking. I said I’d meet her outside and when I got there, […]
Continue ReadingBy Lisa Berman, Paula Brody & Family Education Center Director at Mayyim Hayyim and “Cape Cod Girl” In a recent class at Mayyim Hayyim, I asked a group of adults to recount a memorable encounter they’d had with water – positive or negative – that evoked an emotional response at the time. I was hoping […]
Continue ReadingBy Rabbi Avi Poupko Sacraments are hard to come by in the Jewish tradition. By sacraments, I mean a ritual that is believed to actually be doing something. Our rituals are almost always understood, at least according to mainstream Jewish thought throughout the ages, to be reminding us of something or teaching us an important […]
Continue ReadingBy Leah Hart Tennen, Mikveh Center Director When I was growing up in Jackon, Mississippi (yes, there are Jews in Mississippi—but not many), the only way to be involved in the Jewish community was to go to services and religious school. So, my family went to services most Friday nights. As a petulant teenager, you […]
Continue ReadingBy Gabriella Spitzer You may have seen my earlier post asking for mikveh stories from queer/LGBT-identified people. Thank you for those of you who responded to my survey! I was doing research for my final project in my Thinking Sexuality class this past semester, and I am excited to share with you some of what […]
Continue Readingby Carrie Bornstein, Incoming Executive Director I just made my donation to support Mayyim Hayyim’s newly named Aliza Kline Internship in Jewish Professional Leadership. I know what you’re thinking… “of COURSE she made the donation – big whoop.” But stick with me here. Yes, I’m a little biased… but take a look at this […]
Continue ReadingBy Gail Elson, Mayyim Hayyim Cohort 1 Mikveh Guide About nine years ago, I saw a notice announcing an information meeting for women interested in volunteering at a community mikveh then under construction in Newton. I had retired and was looking for a hands-on volunteer opportunity within the Jewish community (I don’t do fundraising and […]
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