mikveh (original) (raw)

Fri, Oct. 26th, 2007, 12:20 pm

onanothertopic: Welcome!

In this community, we:

1. Provide confidential, open-minded support to

ALL

Jewish women, married, partnered, or single, traditional or not, who are interested in going to mikveh.

2. Maintain a list of nondenominational, community, Conservative, Masorti, unaffiliated traditional, and Reform mikvaot. It's in a separate post below.

3. Post resources of interest to non-traditional (and "regular") mikveh users.

Yes! This group is active (last updated on October 6th, 2008), but only members can see the posts, except for this one, the links, and the list of mikvaot.

Email me at onanothertopic@yahoo.com if you'd like to join. Please tell me a little bit about yourself, with no identifying details, of course, so that I know your interest is genuine. You'll need a LiveJournal account. Register here. If you already have one, you may want another, because your username will be displayed in the userinfo. (Unfortunately, the members list can't be suppressed.)

You must be female to join this community, but there is a Facebook group open to everyone. Over there I crosspost only my purely informational posts, nothing else, so that our privacy won't be compromised.

Bididut, in friendship,

Rachel Heller
onanothertopic

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Fri, Oct. 26th, 2007, 12:18 pm

onanothertopic: Links

Here are some (not exhaustive, not authoritative) resources on mikveh and family purity, both traditional and not. There are already many resource lists out there; scroll to the bottom for some of the best. Along with the basics, I tried to include interesting tidbits not found elsewhere. Email me at onanothertopic@yahoo.com with suggestions or original contributions.

Looking for the list of open-minded mikvaot? It's in a separate post below.

DISCLAIMER: An institution's or author's inclusion on this site does NOT mean that they agree with its mission. We are not affiliated with any of the organizations mentioned.

Introductory

Non-technical, non-denominational, textual, and historical overview from Kenyon College, a highly regarded secular liberal arts school.

A more-or-less "mainstream Orthodox" overview at JewFaq.org. Don't be put off by the name; it's an excellent site.

RitualWell.org is a good starting point for Reform, Reconstructionist, and transdenominational approaches.

Sepharadim have slightly different laws of mikveh. See here for a (baldly legalistic) overview.

Some Sepharadim (that is, Sepharadiot, the women!) have a celebration at the mikveh for the bride's first visit before her wedding. See this excerpt from Toby Klein Greenwald's "Memoirs of a[n anonymous] Mikveh Lady," as well as the home movies in the "Images" section below.

The Shefa Network, a group of "dreamers from within the Conservative movement," has a page on mikveh and an active Yahoo! group.

Images

The Mikvah Project, "a touring exhibit of photographs and interviews documenting the resurgence of the Jewish rite of immersion in a ritual bath."

Varda Polak-Sahm's work is a lot more "real," more compelling, to me. But what's the challah doing there? Some sort of segulah?

Boomers! TV has an interview with Anita Diamant, one of the founders of Boston's Mayyim Hayyim, which includes a clip of an immersion. N.B. that this is a very classy mikveh; the one in Varda Polak-Sahm's photographs is quite nice, but more the usual.

Here are some home movies of a pre-wedding mikveh shindig (in Brooklyn?). See also the God-fearing Francophone gentlemen doing some premarital reclaiming of their own (at 6:18).

Archaeology & History

In Hania, Crete, the medieval Etz Hayyim synagogue was restored and reopened in 1999, along with its spring-fed mikveh (see also here and here), where one can actually dunk.

It would be quite a feat to identify (and use) the world's oldest functioning mikveh. This one may be in the running, at least outside of Israel.

Thirteenth-century mikveh in Besalu, Spain. The site's in Catalan!

Medieval mikvaot, beautifully restored, at Speyer and Worms, Germany. Be sure to follow all of the links to get all of the material, including plans. Here is a (dark, blurry, but nonetheless interesting) video of Speyer's.

See a video tour of the Arizal mikveh in Tsfat, northern Israel. Rabbi Yitzhak Luria, the Arizal, lived from 1534-1572 and used the mikveh, but the facility itself is probably older, although I don't know. I believe it's for men only, so it's a chance for women to look inside.

Here are two videos about a mikveh of uncertain date (after 1680, when the town was founded) in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

Truly alternative alternatives: bricks, mortar, bodies of water

Au naturel at Yoatzot.org:

Immersing in a spring

In a lake

In the ocean

In a river

HomeMikveh.org, out of Eugene, OR. Ladies (and gentlemen)! Consult one of the world's few experts before trying this at home!

R. Abadi at Kashrut.org is apparently interested in developing a prefabricated mikveh for home installation. He also holds that SOME, not all, swimming pools may be usable as mikvaot. Please email him before trying this.

R. Benjamin Kreitman, of the (Conservative) Rabbinical Assembly, also holds that some swimming pools may be used as mikvaot if no other option is available. See this summary of his view. The full citation is in "Scholarly articles, lectures, and responsa" below.

R. David Miller's seminal (!) book, The Secret of the Jew, on building home mikvaot, relies on R. Kreitman's and R. Abadi's opinions, and, more important, was one of the first popular books on family purity. It is available free on HebrewBooks.org as Sod Netzach Yisrael, vols. 1 and 2, although it is in English. For the full citation, see "Scholarly articles, lectures, and responsa" below.

Voice of the people

New York's Jewish Week acknowledges the facts on the ground. A rare mention of the phenomenon in a mainstream publication.

Anna Sophie (Su Fei) Lowenberg, an American Jewish woman who lives in Beijing, tours the new Chabad mikveh there on "Sexy Beijing," China's answer to "Sex and the City." Go inside the building at 2:55, see the awesome mikveh pool at 3:54, and hear their policy on single women at 6:10. We need to empower Ms. Lowenberg! Onward to the local lake, sisters!

At Mayim Rabim:

Deciding to wait

"Don't ask, don't tell"

Marking life events

Tucker Lieberman, in "Hearing Beneath The Surface: Crossing Gender Boundaries at the Ari Mikveh," visits the same mikveh listed in "Archaeology & History," above.

Chava Willig Levy is a married Orthodox woman who uses the mikveh for taharat ha-mishpachah, but her story, like Lieberman's, is not the usual. "House of Hopes" appears in Total Immersion: A Mikvah Anthology, edited by Rivkah Slonim (Jason Aaronson, 1995).

Primary (Biblical and rabbinic) sources

It will take a while to get these together, as I am no scholar. In the meantime...

This blog post reviews rabbinic sources on concubinage, i.e., non-marital committed relationships.

Mechon Mamre has many texts in Hebrew and some in English.

AishDas maintains a vast directory of Jewish texts online--do a search for "English" (or other languages) to find translations.

The Unbound Bible sets up Hebrew and English results side by side, verse by verse. Scores of other languages too. (No, it is not a Jewish site.)

HebrewBooks.org contains free (public domain) copies of many rabbinic works, some obscure, some not.

Scholarly articles, lectures, and responsa

Needless to say, the authors named below are not affiliated with this site and may or may not agree with its mission. Please forgive any improperly formatted citations.Adler, Rachel. “Tum’ah and Toharah: Ends and Beginnings.” Response: A Contemporary Jewish Review (Summer 1973). 117-127. At http://jwa.org/feminism/_html/_pdf/JWA001d.pdf.

Berkowitz, Miriam. "Reshaping the Laws of Family Purity for the Modern World." At http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/docs/Berkowitz-Niddah.pdf.

Bleich, J. David. "Can There Be Marriage Without Marriage?" Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought 33.2 (Winter 1999). Pages.

Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) Responsa Committee. "The Miqveh and Reform Converts." Contemporary American Reform Responsa. Ed. Walter Jacob. [City]: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1988. At http://data.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/respdisp.pl?file=44&year=carr.

CCAR Responsa Committee. "Origin of the Miqveh for Conversion." Contemporary American Reform Responsa. Ed. Walter Jacob. [City]: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1988. 196. At http://data.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/respdisp.pl?file=43&year=carr.

CCAR Responsa Committee. "A 'Proper' Reform Mikveh." Responsum no. 5756.6 (1995-1996). At http://data.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/respdisp.pl?file=6&year=5756.

Emden, Jacob. "Responsum of Rabbi Yaakov Emden from Sheylot Ye'avetz [sic] vol. 2, no. 15." In Sacred Secrets: The Sanctity of Sex in Jewish Law and Lore. Gershon Winkler. New York: Jason Aronson, 1998. 105-142. Although this is a copyrighted work, the chapter is available at http://pilegeshpersonals.com/Rabbi_Yaakov_Emden%27s_responsa_on_Pilegesh.pdf.

Emden, Jacob. Sefer She'ilat Ya'avets. Vol. 2. Jerusalem: Mir, [5]764 [2003 or 2004]. Pages.

Feldblum, Meir Simcha. "A Proposal for a Comprehensive Solution to the Agunah-Mamzer Problem." Dine Israel: An Annual of Jewish Law Past and Present 19 (1997-1998). 203-215.

Grossman, Susan. "Mikveh and the Sanctity of Being Created Human." At http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/docs/Grossman-Niddah.pdf.

Halevy, Schulamith C. "On Family and Purity." Midstream 41.7 (1995). 30-32. At http://www.cs.tau.ac.il/~nachum/sch/sch/family.pdf.

Henkin, J.H. (Yehuda). "Acharitah mi yeshurenah: teguvah le-Zvi Zohar." Akdamot 17 (Spring 2007): 33-40. ("Who can foresee what will come of this? : reply to Zvi Zohar.")

Henkin, J.H. (Yehuda). "Women's Immersion Before Yom Kippur." Responsa on Contemporary Jewish Women's Issues. Ed. J.H. (Yehuda) Henkin. New York: Ktav Publishing House, 2003. 77-87. Google Book Search has a limited preview available here.

Jachter, Howard. "The Building and Maintenance of Mikvaot, Parts 1-5." Rabbi Jachter's Halacha Files (and other Halachic Compositions): A Student Publication of the Torah Academy of Bergen County. Oct.-Nov. 2002. At http://www.koltorah.org/ravj/ravj.htm.

Kanarfogel, Ephraim. "Rabbinic Attitudes toward Nonobservance in the Medieval Period." Jewish Tradition and the Non-Traditional Jew. Ed. Jacob J. Schachter. New York: Jason Aronson, 1992. Pages.

Kreitman, Benjamin. "May a swimming pool be used as a mikvah?" Proceedings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement, 1927-1970. Ed. David Golinkin. Vol. 3. Jerusalem: The Assembly: Institute of Applied Halakhah, 1997. 21.

Lichtenstein, Aharon. "_Shiur Peticha_--Opening Shiur on Massekhet Kiddushin." Translated, abridged, and adapted by Moshe Cahan, Yair Kahn, and Menachem Weinberg. Presented at Yeshivat Har Etzion, Gush Etzion, Israel. (1997?). At http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/01petich.htm.

Miller, David. The Secret of the Jew: His Life--His Family. New York: Miller, 1930. [Available free as _Sod Netzach Yisrael_ at HebrewBooks.org.]

Reisner, Avram. "Observing Niddah in Our Day." At http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/docs/Reisner-Niddah.pdf.

Shapiro, Marc (Melekh). "Ha-im yesh makom le-hatir et ha-pilegesh ke-pitron halkei le-mekutsat ha-agunah ha-zekukah libum?: iyun histori-hilkhati me-ha-dor ha-kodem." Beloved Words/Milin Havivin: A Student Journal Devoted to Torah, Society and the Rabbinate 2 (June 2006): 24-33 (Hebrew), 197-204 (English). At http://www.yctorah.org/content/view/121/53/. ("The potential for using the concept of pilegesh to tackle the agunah issue: A look at the previous generation.")

Zohar, Zvi. "Zugiyut al pi halakhah le-lo hupah ve-kidushin." Akdamot 17 (Spring 2007): 11-31. At http://www.bmj.org.il/pdf/akdamot/17zohar+.pdf. ("Couplehood according to Jewish law without a Jewish marriage ceremony.")

Links to links

JOFA, the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, has a list of resources on niddah and mikveh. See the rest of their extensive Online Library for other matters related to women.

Yoatzot.org's list of links, among many less recondite topics, shows us where to buy black pantiliners. Ah, Orthodoxy. It's so you don't have to notice any dubious spots. Before getting out your credit card, note that many authorities recommend any color of underwear EXCEPT for white, red, or black. With red or black, you may miss a harmless spot, but you may also miss early signs of a serious condition. Lunapads is overlooking a market here, I tell you.

Mayim Rabim's links.

Mayyim Hayyim links to various liberal-minded articles that the other sites don't list.

MikvaTikva.org is a project of R. Immanuel Ravad. His resource list includes many small pamphlets that one would never find in other bibliographies. He is the force behind Brooklyn's Museum of the Mikveh. He also donated a clock (see here) to the Eugene, OR community mikveh.

community mikvah community mikvaot community mikveh conservative mikvah conservative mikvaot conservative mikveh family purity liberal mikvah liberal mikveh liberal mikvaot mikva mikvah single mikvah singles mikvah unmarried mikvaos mikvaoth mikve mikveh single mikveh singles mikveh unmarried mikvos mikvot mikvoth mikwa mikwah mikwe mikweh miqva miqvah miqvaot miqvaoth miqve miqveh miqvot mykwa mykwah mykwe mykweh niddah premarital sex progressive mikveh progressive mikvah progressive mikvaot reconstructionist mikveh reconstructionist mikvah reconstructionist mikvaot reform mikvah reform mikvaot reform mikveh shomer mitzvot taharat hamishpacha taharat hamishpachah mikvah unmarried mikveh unmarried mikvaot unmarried woman penuyah postdenominational mikveh postdenominational mikvah postdenominational mikvaot open mikveh open mikvah open mikvaot מקוה מקווה

Mon, Jul. 2nd, 2007, 11:34 am

onanothertopic: List of open-minded mikvaot (community, Conservative, Reform, liberal, interdenominational)

UPDATE (10/08/2008): No time to add new entries in Chicago, Syracuse, NY, and Brighton, UK. Email us for info. G'mar chatimah tovah, may you finish up the holidays with a seal of approval!

This list includes some mikvaot in non-Orthodox synagogues or community centers, some run by interdenominational committees, and some that state explicitly that they are open to all Jews for both traditional and innovative rituals. That said, this list is for reference only. None of the mikvaot listed are affiliated with Open-Minded Mikveh.

Many of the facilities below are located in accessible buildings, but the immersion pool itself may not have a lift. Mayyim Hayyim is fully accessible. The Orthodox Union, to its credit, maintains a list of accessible mikvaot.

Download a copy of the brachot (blessings) for immersion here (PDF) or here (Word). Includes transliteration; easy to waterproof.

Many thanks to dianesowo, hatam_soferet (Jen Taylor Friedman), neskatan, purplehamsa, tezliana, thesynergizer, tobeginagain, wotyfree, wrenb, R. David Bockman of the Croton Jewish Center in Bergenfield, NJ, R. Joshua Heller of Atlanta's B'nai Torah (no relation to Rachel, our moderator), R. David Kay of Orlando's Ohev Shalom, and Naomi Malka of Adas Israel in Washington, DC.

Email us with questions or suggestions. May you have brachah ve-hatzlachah, blessing and success.

Argentina

Buenos Aires: At Comunidad Amijai (Masorti).

Canada

Calgary, AB: At the Calgary Jewish Academy, a community day school.

Winnipeg, MB: The community mikveh is at the Asper Jewish Community Campus.

From the link above: "[O]pen to all members of the community for a variety of purposes, including taharat ha-mishpacha, tevilat kelim, and conversions."

St. John's, NF: At Beth El Synagogue (Conservative).

Note that many Canadian Conservative synagogues are rather more traditional than their U.S. counterparts.

Ottawa, ON: At the Soloway Jewish Community Centre.

Ottawa, ON: Not currently functioning at Congregation Beth Shalom (traditional).

Toronto, ON: The Thornhill Community Mikveh is operated by Temple Kol Ami (Reform).

Opened in 1994. See Geraldine Sherman's article in Toronto Life.

Regina, SK: At Beth Jacob Synagogue (egalitarian).

Saskatoon, SK: At Congregation Agudas Israel (Conservative).

Chile

Santiago: At the synagogue of the Comunidad Israelita Sefaradi (Masorti/Conservative).

The synagogue has a small museum. See also Santiago's main Jewish community site.

France

Paris: Under construction at the Maayan Centre (Liberal/Reform).

See the article about Paris' liberal community in Reform Judaism Magazine.

Germany

Berlin: At the Synagoge Oranienburger Strasse (Masorti).

Email the committee at mikwe@berlin-juedisch.de. See more about the mikveh here, at the Berlin Jewish community's main site.

Israel

Kibbutz Ha-Naton (Nazareth): This Masorti (Conservative) kibbutz has Israel's only non-Orthodox mikveh, to my knowledge. [Edit: the site's down.]

Dedicated in 1993. See here for words from Shoshana Michael-Zucker, one of the kibbutz's founding members.

Tel Aviv: The Jewish Cultural Center of the Masorti Movement, now in the fundraising stage, is slated to include a mikveh.

Mexico

Acapulco: At the Hyatt Regency (December through March only).

> I include this listing for the record, because the mikveh is manifestly in a hotel, not a synagogue. The hotel's synagogue and mikveh are administered by Maguen David of Mexico, the Syrian community. (The Syrian rabbinate has a long-standing edict against marrying converts of any denomination.) This may be an option if one is a tourist and/or a hotel guest, as there is no other mikveh (except the ocean!) in Acapulco, and no other mikveh in Mexico outside an Orthodox synagogue, as far as I know.

Unlike some hotel mikvaot, this one appears to function more or less independently. Several Conservative/Masorti conversions were performed there in 2002.

United Kingdom

Cardiff, Wales: Rumo(u)red to exist; perhaps affiliated with the Cardiff New Synagogue. Must inquire.

London: At the Sternberg Centre for Judaism/Leo Baeck College (U.K. Reform/Liberal).

Call the office at 020-8349-5657. Open during office hours by appointment; bring your own rabbi and/or attendant.

United States

Alabama (Birmingham): At Temple Beth-El (Conservative).

Alabama (Montgomery): At Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem (Conservative/Sepharadi).

Arizona (Scottsdale): At Congregation Beth Israel (Reform).

Opened in 2007. Constructed under the guidance of R. Ben Zion Bergman of the American Jewish University in Los Angeles and R. Yaacov Love of New York's Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. See this article about the interdenominational cooperation out there.

Arkansas (Little Rock): At Agudath Achim (traditional).

It's hard to know what "traditional" means, so plan accordingly.

California (Los Angeles): At the Conservative-affiliated American Jewish University, formerly the University of Judaism.

Call (310) 471-4061. This is perhaps the oldest "liberal" mikveh, established in 1981.

California (Los Angeles): The Los Angeles Community Mikveh and Education Center (LACMEC) is raising funds for an unaffiliated community mikveh.

See the L.A. Jewish Journal's article, or read the press release (on PDF).

California (Oakland): At Beth Jacob Congregation (Orthodox).

In a letter to j., the Jewish news weekly of Northern California, R. Mark Bloom of Temple Beth Abraham writes: "[Beth Jacob's mikveh] truly functions as a community mikvah. Conservative, Reform and Renewal rabbis all conduct our conversions there. Every year I take a group of men there before Yom Kippur. Many of the brides I marry visit the mikvah the week of their wedding. We have used it for other Jewish ceremonies as well. We are grateful that Congregation Beth Jacob is so welcoming to the broad Jewish community, allowing all of us the opportunity for physical and spiritual immersion."

California (Orange County): Under construction at Congregation Eilat (Conservative).

There is said to be an existing liberal mikveh somewhere here. Here is a list of local synagogues.

California (San Diego): In the planning stages at Congregation Beth Am (Conservative).

California (San Fransisco): Mikveh Israel B'nai David (pluralist, see articles here and here).

California (San Jose/Los Gatos): At the JCC of Silicon Valley.

Under the supervision of R. Ben Zion Bergman and Chabad. See the articles here and here.

Colorado (Colorado Springs): At Temple Shalom (Conservative).

Florida (Orlando): At Congregation Ohev Shalom (Conservative).

Call the synagogue office at (407) 298-4650.

Georgia (Atlanta/Sandy Springs): At Congregation B'nai Torah (Conservative).

Call the synagogue office at (404) 257-0537, or, as a backup, R. Joshua Heller at (404) 788-7357. From R. Heller: "Open to all comers. Appointments are required, bring your own attendant."

Georgia (Augusta): At Adas Yeshurun (Conservative).

Hawaii (Pearl Harbor Naval Station): At the Aloha Jewish Chapel.

The Jewish chaplain rotates (sometimes Orthodox, sometimes not), but once you get permission to tovel on base, the mikveh lady should pose no problem. While waiting, you can chill with the Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet.

Illinois (Chicago/Wilmette): The Community Mikvah of the Conservative Movement is at Beth Hillel Congregation Bnai Emunah.

Call (847) 256-4699.

Illinois (Rock Island): At the Tri-City Jewish Center (Conservative).

Sadly, Amtrak has no Rock Island Line to facilitate tevilah bi-zmanah.

Iowa (Sioux City): At Congregation Beth Shalom (Conservative).

Call them at (712) 255-1990. Beth Shalom remains, impressively, without a website.

Kansas (Overland Park): At Kehilath Israel (traditional).

Their rabbi, R. Herbert Mandl, is "right-wing" Conservative, for lack of a better description.

Kansas (Wichita): At Ahavath Achim Hebrew Congregation (traditional).

It's hard to know what "traditional" means, so plan accordingly.

Maine (Portland): At Congregation Shaarey Tphiloh (Orthodox).

The mikveh page makes it clear that the mikveh is funded by the Federation and open to the entire community. Good for them.

Maryland (Baltimore): At Beth El Congregation (Conservative).

Call the synagogue at (410) 484-0411.

Massachusetts (Boston/Newton): Mayyim Hayyim is not affiliated with a synagogue or movement.

Opened in 2004. They've done wonderful things to put liberal mikvaot on the map, but one can see from this list that there were many pioneers before them.

Boomers! TV has an interview with Anita Diamant, one of the founders, which includes a clip of an immersion.

Massachusetts (Elsewhere): Email me for more information.

Mrs. Blumkin, a"h_, "founded the Nebraska Furniture Mart in 1937...and continued selling carpet there well past her 100th birthday."_

Nevada (Las Vegas): At Temple Beth Sholom (Conservative).

New York (Albany): Affiliated with Temple Israel (Conservative).

Read an account of its construction here.

New York (Ithaca): At Temple Beth El (Conservative).

New York (New York City): Email me with questions about mikvaot in the five boroughs.

New York (Suffolk County/Commack): At the Y.M.H.A./Y.W.H.A. (no website).

Call (631) 462-6075 for an appointment. Founded in 1987; see the NYT article.

Although the day-to-day management is probably Orthodox, it's located in a health club. So if you're allowed into, lehavdil_, the locker room (or even if not), it should not be too difficult to advocate for unencumbered mikveh use._

New York (White Plains): The Brandt Family Mikveh at Temple Israel Center (Conservative).

Call the office at (914) 948-2800 to make an appointment with Robin Friedman, the coordinator. I myself just visited. Robin is very friendly and laidback, and the mikveh is beautiful. Built in 2003.

Marjorie Ingall, now of the Forward, pays a visit here. She went with her friend Lynn Harris, who writes about her very moving experience here.

North Carolina (Greensboro): At Beth David Synagogue (Conservative).

Ohio (Cleveland Heights): The Charlotte Goldberg Community Mikvah at the Park Synagogue (Conservative).

Dedicated in 2000.

Ohio (Dayton): At Beth Jacob Congregation (traditional).

Ohio (Youngstown): The community mikveh is attached to Temple El Emeth (Conservative).

This mikveh is a separate entity run by an interdenominational committee. Temple El Emeth's site invites people to contact any local rabbi. See the local Federation's list of rabbis.

And is that a little green (plastic) frog sitting on a buoy in the water? Scroll down and take a good look.

Oklahoma (Oklahoma City): At Emanuel Synagogue (Conservative).

Constructed under the supervision of R. Asher Weil of Chicago's Telshe Yeshiva.

Oklahoma (Tulsa): At Congregation B'nai Emunah (Conservative).

Oregon (Eugene): HomeMikveh.org.

Located in a yurt, with tea nearby. Who needs this overwrought (if gorgeous) New York stuff?

Oregon (Portland): The Jewish Ritualarium is a true community effort, with the support of Beit Midrash Eitz Chaim and many others.

The mikveh is in the home of Lillian Corcos; call her at (503) 224-3409.

Pennsylvania (Allentown/Lehigh Valley): The Lehigh Valley Community Mikvah is run by an interdenominational committee.

Per Congregation Sons of Israel's site, "immersion is open to any Jew, whether for niddah use, conversion or any other purpose."

Pennsylvania (Newtown/Bucks County): At Congregation Shir Ami (Reform).

Pennsylvania (Philadelphia/Wynnewood): At Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El (Conservative).

The site has excellent pictures of the collection system (scroll down).

Pennsylvania (Williamsport): At Ohev Sholom Synagogue (traditional?).

Rhode Island (Providence): Behind the Jewish Community Center.

> Call (401) 621-9119 for an appointment. Funded by the Federation and a private donor; see the article here. "May be used by men and women of any religious denomination."

South Carolina (Columbia): At Beth Shalom Synagogue (Conservative).

Tennessee (Memphis): At Beth Sholom (Conservative).

A true kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God's name) and an inspiration to us all.

Texas (Dallas): At Tiferet Israel (traditional).

Although this is not an Orthodox congregation ("Conservadox," perhaps?), their sensibilities are rather old-school, so moderate your approach accordingly.

Tiferet Israel also sponsors an annual Kosher Chili Cookoff. Daughter of Israel! Be sure to floss afterward, as something may get stuck in your teeth and invalidate your immersion. Or perhaps it is preferable to dunk before such a holy event.

Texas (El Paso): At Congregation B'nai Zion (Conservative).

Texas (El Paso): Funds are being raised for an unaffiliated community mikveh. See the El Paso Times article here (on PDF).

Check out the mikveh's new site, call Naomi Malka, the coordinator, at (202) 841-8776 or (202) 362-4433, or email mikvah@adasisrael.org.

West Virginia (Charleston): At Congregation B'nai Jacob (traditional with an egalitarian minyan).

Located a few hundred feet from Tikvah's Kosher Bed and Breakfast. Charleston is on an Amtrak line.

Wisconsin (Madison): At Beth Israel Center (Conservative).

Closed for renovation. wrenb recommends that interested parties donate to the congregation's mikveh fund. There is also a Chabad mikveh in the area.

Fourth- and fifth-grade students from Randall Elementary record their impressions here. "They kill their meat in a fast, low-tech way."

Wisconsin (Manitowoc): At Anshe Poale Zedek Synagogue (traditional).

Open to Reform conversions. See the article here.

Wyoming (Cheyenne): At Mt. Sinai Synagogue (Conservative).

Fed by a stream. Read about Robbi Sherwin's visit here (scroll down).

Do note that a river-fed mikveh has different structural requirements than the usual rainwater mikveh. This one seems to use mechanical pumps. Check with an expert if this is of concern to you.

Finally, just for fun, maps showing which (red?!) states and countries have open-minded mikvaot:

community mikvah community mikvaot community mikveh conservative mikvah conservative mikvaot conservative mikveh family purity liberal mikvah liberal mikveh liberal mikvaot mikva mikvah single mikvah singles mikvah unmarried mikvaos mikvaoth mikve mikveh single mikveh singles mikveh unmarried mikvos mikvot mikvoth mikwa mikwah mikwe mikweh miqva miqvah miqvaot miqvaoth miqve miqveh miqvot mykwa mykwah mykwe mykweh niddah premarital sex progressive mikveh progressive mikvah progressive mikvaot reconstructionist mikveh reconstructionist mikvah reconstructionist mikvaot reform mikvah reform mikvaot reform mikveh shomer mitzvot taharat hamishpacha taharat hamishpachah mikvah unmarried mikveh unmarried mikvaot unmarried woman penuyah postdenominational mikveh postdenominational mikvah postdenominational mikvaot open mikveh open mikvah open mikvaot מקוה מקווה