by Rachel Bernstein I had been preparing for my first immersion for eight years. I didn’t know exactly when it would be, but I could guess why it would be. The first eight times I had visited Mayyim Hayyim, I went in my capacity as Academic Adviser for the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute summer internship. I brought […]
Continue Readingby Laura Conrad Mandel Life isn’t about stuff, it’s about experiences. Between baby showers and wedding showers, adoptions and graduations, I find myself constantly in need of gifts for friends and family who tend to have just about all the stuff they need, and for whom I know that something off a registry doesn’t typically […]
Continue Readingby Shira Cohen-Goldberg January 25, 2009. Here was this guy from JDate. He liked Ethiopian food and taught at Tufts University. He was four years younger than I, just out of grad school, and had a warm smile. When we met for dinner, my hair was still wet from the gym, and I had forgotten […]
Continue Readingby Cantor Rachel Stock Spilker Even though my family emigrated from Eastern Europe in the early 20th century, my father always said he felt that his soul was part Sephardic. The music, the food, and the customs that evolved in the many countries Sephardim lived in were alluring to me, too. I was so captivated that […]
Continue ReadingToday, we offer you a gem from the archives: one woman’s experience of monthly immersion. This post was originally published on May 6th 2013. The author of this post prefers to remain anonymous. I never imagined that I would observe regular mikveh practice. I didn’t grow up Orthodox, nor do I identify as such now. I didn’t have […]
Continue Readingby Cantor Lori Salzman About ten years ago I was approached by a friend who was soon to be married. She told me she really didn’t want a traditional bridal shower and asked if there was some sort of simple Jewish celebration she could do. I was a little surprised, since she is one of […]
Continue Readingby Kelly Banker, Intern A few weeks ago, I was in deep need of a ritual space. I was yearning for a way to mark a rite of passage, a moment in time, with my partner (who is Christian), and yet finding something that would be meaningful for the both of us was feeling increasingly […]
Continue ReadingBy Shira M. Cohen-Goldberg I grew up listening to Marlo Thomas’s “Free to be You and Me,” a compilation of songs and stories geared towards children that immerses the listener in the progressive values of the early 70’s: gender equity, individuality, tolerance, and comfort with one’s identity. In the world of “Free to Be,” Atalanta […]
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 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 […]
Continue Readingby 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 […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Fishbayn Joffe The day before Purim is marked by many Jews around the world as Agunah Day; a day to remember and speak out on behalf of women trapped in dead marriages unless and until their husband decides to let them go. Recently, I had the privilege of speaking to a group of women […]
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