Jewish Community News

News: February 2008

Community mikvah opens for business

The community mikvah at the Gloria and Ken Levy Family Campus, located between the changing rooms at the swimming pool, is officially open for service.
Overseen by Rabbi Leslie Alexander and  Rabbi Avi Lebowitz, the mikvah is available by appointment for a variety of uses including conversion, ritual purity and the observance of any important life transition.

“We anticipate and hope to receive  calls from people in the community who say, ‘I’ve never done this before but am curious and would like to try,” said Rabbi Leslie Alexander. “This mikvah will be open to everyone for a variety of rituals, or just to try it out.”

The mikvah is a ritual Jewish bath described as an important mitzvah in the Torah. People who visit Israel today can see not only many mikvahs in use, but many historical mikvah sites dating back thousands of years.   Looking  much like a hot tub, the mikvah is designed for spiritual cleansing and purification.
     In traditional, observant communities, married women visit the mikvah each month after the completion of their menstrual cycle, before resuming sexual relations with their spouse. They also visit after childbirth, and before becoming married. Observant men traditionally visit the mikvah on major Jewish holidays, and weekly before Shabbat. Other mikvah uses include conversion and a ritual preparing of newly purchased dishware.
    While the Levy Campus mikvah will be available for these traditional uses, it is also open for a variety of newer ritual practices. Some possible uses of the mikvah could be before a bar or bat mitzvah, after a loss (of a baby, a spouse), after divorce, and upon reaching a milestone such as retirement or graduation, obtaining a new job.
     So far, six women, and one man, have made the commitment to serve as volunteer attendants, a job that entails assisting people with their mikvah experience, and educating people who have no prior experience. Whenever community members make an appointment, they will be contacted and met by a mikvah attendant, who will assist them as much or as little as they would like or need during their experience.
     “The use of the mikvah is for times of transition, and could be used to mark any meaningful transition,” said Jan Rose, volunteer coordinator of the mikvah attendants. “And then it can be used by people who are just curious and want to try it out.”
    Although two orthodox mikvahs currenty exist in the South Bay–one in San Jose and one in Palo Alto–the Levy Campus mikvah is the first community mikvah in the South Bay. Because it’s a community mikvah, it aims to serve any Jew who desires to use it. Prior to its existence, liberal rabbis performing conversions made a long shlep to San Francisco. 
    Sima Shore, one of the volunteer mikvah attendants, recalls feeling unwelcome when she once tried to visit another  mikvah. Desirous to try out the experience, she was told that since she was not married, there was really no need for her to partake.
    “What I love about this mikvah is that anyone can go for any reason,” said Shore.
      Volunteer mikvah attendant Sharon
Nemoff Jones said she is drawn to the mikvah as “a connection to the past,” something that women’s “grandmothers and mothers have done.” At the same time, she likes that the Levy Campus Mikvah will be open for nontraditional uses, including healing from rape, the loss of a baby, illness or cancer.
      Dottie Miller, another volunteer mikvah attendant who also runs the Melton Adult Mini School, says she wants to help make people have a positive mikvah experience. “I have two daughters,” said Miller. “One had a great mikvah experience, one had a terrible one. The difference was the mikvah attendant. I want to make it a positive experience when people come.”
     The mikvah’s sole male attendant, Joe Isaacson, has already had the opportunity to make an impact. In early January, he served as the attendant during a conversion of a man in the community. “I found it a very spiritual and meaningful experience and it was an honor and a privilege to be a part of that,” said Issacson.
      The Gloria and Ken Levy Family
Campus Mikvah was created with a generous donation from Eli Rheinhard, one of the campus’ largest benefactors. The mikvah is operated by the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley. The kashrut of the mikvah is overseen by Rabbi Avi Lebowitz.  The mikvah program is overseen by Rabbi Leslie Alexander, and volunteer chairperson Jan Rose.