By 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 Rabbi Matthew Berger, Rabbi at Temple Emanuel On December 22, 2011, the 2nd day of Hanukkah, I accompanied two of my conversion students, Leonarda and Zechariah, to Mayyim Hayyim for their Beit Din (court of three) and T’vilah (immersion). This remarkable couple, originally from Puerto Rico, chose to convert to Judaism together – a […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Alissa Golbus, Cohort 7 Mikveh Guide at Mayyim Hayyim One of the hardest parts of my conversion process was, strangely enough, choosing my Hebrew name. The opportunity to claim a name that encapsulates my understanding of who I am and who I hope to be as a Jew felt so hugely important that […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Lisa Port White One of my favorite tasks as a guide at Mayyim Hayyim is to witness conversion immersions and be the first to welcome someone into Judaism. I like it so much that I often scan the calendar and sign up when I know there is going to be a conversion. Last […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Rabbi Claudia Kreiman Every year, I am honored to sponsor a few candidates for conversion. As a rabbi, accompanying a person on their path into Judaism is one of the most profound experiences I encounter. I learn from candidates, from their questions and struggles. Their perspectives and experiences enrich my own and open […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Trish Soha חנה בת אברהם ושרה, Chana Bat Avraham v’Sarah I had imagined my conversion mikveh immersion at least three times a day for the year or so between my Pathways to Judaism class’ tour at Mayyim Hayyim and the actual event—that’s over a thousand imagined dunkings, if you’re counting – and none […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Todd Kates On July 26, 2011, the 6th anniversary of his adoption by me from a Russian orphanage, my son officially converted to Judaism at Mayyim Hayyim. On October 1, 2011, he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in front of 145 family and friends. It was probably one of the most profound moments since […]
Continue ReadingBy Rick and Sarah Perron If someone had told us seven years ago that we would one day make the decision to become Jews, we would have been doubtful, to say the least. However, on 26 Sivan, 5771 (June 28th, 2011), each of us found ourselves immersing in the serene waters of the beautiful mikvaot […]
Continue ReadingWritten by Angel The path that led me to the mikveh at Mayyim Hayyim and to finally become Jewish was distinctly the “road less travelled.” My best friend and love of my life was born Jewish. My daughter and I were not. If you had told me a year ago that I would find myself […]
Continue ReadingAs a mikveh guide who volunteers regularly, I see the holidays in a way that I hadn’t before—while I have always known they mark time’s passage, celebrations, and events, when people come to the mikveh to immerse for a holiday, I see how some people carry tradition with them by taking time out of their […]
Continue ReadingAs a rabbi working with hundreds of interfaith couples, I would have to say that there are as many reasons someone in an interfaith relationship would choose to convert as there are interfaith couples. Some have been thinking about being Jewish since childhood, others have only come to consider it since dating someone Jewish and […]
Continue ReadingI recently served on the beit din for the conversion to Judaism of a German man whose parents had been members of the Nazi party. During our conversation, I bore witness to an amazing story. He had married a Jewish woman 20 years ago, and decided to convert prior to his daughter’s Bat Mitzvah. As […]
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