Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of mikvahs, Jewish ritual baths.
Mikvah
The Latest
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News Rabbi Barry Freundel Arrested — Suspected of Peeping on Women in Mikvah
Rabbi Barry Freundel, the spiritual leader of one of Washington D.C.’s most prominent Modern Orthodox synagogues, was suspended without pay by his congregation Tuesday after police arrested him on charges that he used cameras to peep on women in the synagogue’s mikvah, or ritual bath. Freundel, whose congregation includes Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and ex-Sen….
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Fast Forward 1,900-Year-Old Mikveh Found in Israel — and World War II Graffiti
A highway expansion project in Israel has led to the discovery of a nearly 2,000-year-old mikvah. The ritual bath was discovered at Ha-Ela Junction, near the city of Beit Shemesh, during archaeological excavations conducted prior to widening Highway 38, the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a news release. In addition to the 1,900-year-old mikvah, archaeologists…
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News What the Day of Atonement Meant to One Hasidic Woman
On the top shelf of our living room buffet sit some of our once-a-year religious accoutrements: a Passover matzo set, a white tablecloth for the sukkah and a white apron. This is not your typical kitchen apron; it is my vase shirtsl — literally, white apron: a small, square-shaped, hand-embroidered cotton apron made of fine…
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Fast Forward Century-Old Mikveh Unearthed in New Hampshire
An almost century-old mikveh was unearthed by archeologists this week in the remains of a New Hampshire home. The ritual bath it was found in a ten-acre outdoor history museum called Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, which preserves a neighborhood dating back to the 1600s, according to the Archeology Institute of America The neighborhood was inhabited…
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Life The Mikveh in My Backyard
The site of the Chesterfield synagogue I’m walking towards a wooded lot almost hidden by what passes for a busy intersection in rural eastern Connecticut. The road has no shoulder, so I try to stay as close as possible to the curb. This is not a place designed for pedestrians, and I wonder what passing…
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Life There’s a Shark in the Mikveh
Perplexed souls seeking enlightenment about what to expect when taking a dip in the mikveh have generally found a limited variety on the shelves of Judaica stores and libraries: On the one hand, there are a myriad of volumes devoted to the halachic intricacies of family purity, and then there are the numerous works extolling…
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Life Debating My Boyfriend Over Israel’s Orthodox Rule
Noga and her boyfriend When I imagined my wedding day as an Israeli Jew, I envisioned choosing one of the alternatives to the Orthodox process. It would be a non-religious or a Reform ceremony, in which my partner and I would be treated as equal, a ceremony in I could express my love, and not…
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Fast Forward Ancient Mikveh Unearthed Near Barcelona
A 15th century mikveh was discovered at the location of the last synagogue in the old Jewish quarter of Girona in Catalonia, Spain. The discovery of the Jewish ritual bath is significant since there are very few preserved mikvehs left in Europe and it further highlights the importance of Girona’s rich Jewish heritage. Girona is…
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