by Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried I was delighted when Rabbi Joe Brodie, the Dean of Student Life and father figure to many of us at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), agreed to officiate at my wedding. I was also anxious. Like my future spouse, Joe was fairly traditional about ritual observance, and I was embarrassed […]
Continue Readingby Sarah Gurvis, Administrative Assistant Every year, as I’m sure most people do, I look forward to January 1st. There seems to be something magical about the beginning of a new year that we all seem to believe in. It’s the reason that New Year’s Eve is such a big deal with parties, and champagne, […]
Continue Readingby Julia Becker Collins, Director of Community Engagement When my husband and I were in our Introduction to Judaism class at Temple Beth Shalom, we had a class discussion about what is often called the “December Dilemma.” This is the coined phrase that surrounds the ‘conflict’ that appears to many interfaith families and couples at […]
Continue Readingby Ceceley Chambers, Cohort 7 Mikveh Guide As a Mikveh Guide I love to witness the joyful immersions: the bashful bride, the excited teen about to become a Bat Mitzvah, and of course the adorable children who are becoming Jewish. It’s fun to show an especially excited person around Mayyim Hayyim, and to hold their […]
Continue Readingby Ali Kaufman Yares Prior to getting married in 2004, I did a ton of studying and reading about marriage, ketubah (marriage contract), niddah (monthly immersions), hair covering, and even divorce in halacha (Jewish ritual law). After all, I was a Talmud major taking more classes than I needed to because I truly enjoyed studying […]
Continue Readingby Sidney Davis, Mikveh Guide My first witnessed immersion experience at Mayyim Hayyim was a remarkably extraordinary event. Personally, it was an affirmation of my role as a mikveh guide. I volunteered to become a mikveh guide because I wanted to take a more active role within my Jewish community that reflected not only my […]
Continue Readingby Rabbi Leslie Gordon This is not a blog entry about what it feels like to immerse in Mayyim Hayyim. Most narratives in this space provide moving descriptions of the tranquility of the pools, of the restorative powers of the living waters. This is a glimpse into what it feels like on the other side […]
Continue Readingby Lisa Berman, Education Center Director It’s a good day when you create a program described as “absolutely, amazingly, awesomely phenomenal.” Frankly, it’s even better when a 12 year old says, “I thought that the girls would all have been forced to come by their moms, but we were all genuinely interested – and it […]
Continue Readingby Gaby Zwiebach My family roots stem both from Peru and from Mexico. The cultures of these two countries have always had a strong influence in my life and in the life of my two older sisters, and eventually in the lives of our respective children. The three of us were born in Mexico to […]
Continue Readingby Jody Comins, Development and Events Coordinator My children came home from camp last week after being gone for seven weeks. The first day, my 13 year-old daughter, Talia, took to her bed. Itouch in hand, she spent the day crying, listening to music and facebooking with friends that she just left that morning. She […]
Continue ReadingBy 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 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, […]
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