by Shirah Hecht Yaakov awoke from his sleep, and said, In truth, [the Glory of] Adonoy is [dwells] in this place, and I did not know it [would not have known it]. Mikveh and Embodied Judaism Mikveh and I encountered each other a few times in my life, always with positive associations. I first went to the mikveh before my wedding, at age 22, […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director On May 30, we at Mayyim Hayyim launched our newest resource: Fertility Journeys: A Jewish Healing Guide. This book, lovingly created and compiled by Dalia Davis of Uprooted: The Jewish Communal Response to Fertility Journeys, provides readers a wealth of texts, meditations, stories, and exercises – all from […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director Mayyim Hayyim is no stranger to fertility. As mikva’ot have for hundreds of years, we are a touchpoint for individuals at all different moments on their journeys to building a family. We feel fortunate to offer both a reflective space during times of joy and, when needed, a refuge for […]
Continue ReadingIn honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, we are reminded of Carrie’s brave decision to help a Jewish couple begin their family by becoming a gestational surrogate. Enjoy a glimpse into her journey and keep your eyes open for Mayyim Hayyim’s Fertility Journeys: A Jewish Healing Guide – coming soon! By Carrie Bornstein, Executive Director Life […]
Continue Readingby Carrie Bornstein, Executive Director Mayyim Hayyim is the home of new beginnings. After ten years of working at Mayyim Hayyim, I’ve seen a lot of joyful celebration. But I’ve seen a great deal of heartache, too: couples mourning miscarriage, grieving after stillbirth, weeping after failed IVF cycles, immersing month after month, trying to conceive. […]
Continue Readingby Carrie Bornstein Last week, Carrie shared these words as she was honored at Mayyim Hayyim’s spring benefit, Soul/Life/Cycle: My first job interview at Mayyim Hayyim was exactly ten years ago this Thursday; less than 48 hours before Eliana was born. At the time I couldn’t decide how I felt about doing a 9th month […]
Continue ReadingBy Carrie Bornstein, Executive Director Life has been a little busy lately. For all the normal reasons, yes. And, there are some other reasons, too. Mayyim Hayyim has a funny way of having an impact on people, myself included. So I want to share with you some of what’s keeping me busy lately, in the […]
Continue Readingby Elisha Gechter You see blood and it changes everything. You go from being unharmed to wounded, from ritually ready (tahor) to ritually unready (tameh), and sometimes from being pregnant to losing that pregnancy. And that’s what happened to me – at 10 weeks pregnant, responding to a middle of the night cry from my […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Berman, Mikveh and Education Director When I have occasion to mention to people that I work at a mikveh and also happen to be a birth doula (a trained labor and childbirth support person), some of them chuckle and say, “You certainly are drawn to individuals in transition.” And they’re right. I am […]
Continue Readingby Rabbi Danielle Eskow As a monthly mikveh goer, I had always appreciated the cleansing experience of immersing in the water. The routine enhanced my own life, as well as my marriage. As a rabbi, I had witnessed the powerful experience of a new Jewish person immersing in the mikveh upon conversion. I had not […]
Continue Readingby Becca Shimshak “For the Jews, there was light, happiness, joy and honor; so it should be for us.” ~Esther 8:16 with quote from prayer for Havdalah When I got married ten years ago, I chose this quote for our wedding invitation. For all of our friends, there were big, beautiful weddings. Hotels, tuxedos, cute flower […]
Continue Readingby Tamara Reese This article originally appeared on kveller.com I had hoped for a mikveh immersion at the end of my first pregnancy. I wanted the ritual waters to embrace me as a soon-to-be mother as openly as they had to Judaism and to marriage. I had dreamed of how I wanted every aspect of […]
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