Over the past weeks, we made an all-out effort to complete the building of three new mikvahs for women in various communities throughout Israel. The work, which took more than a year, was finally concluded, and we worked many long hours so that the women living in these communities could immerse themselves in the new facilities already during the holiday.
The three communities are Aluma on Israel’s southern coastal plain, Tzohar, in the Eshkol region in the Gaza periphery area and Neve Ziv in the Galiliee. For Neve Ziv, this is the first mikvah built in the community after more than 20 years of the community’s existence.
The mikvahs are constructed to the highest standard, with a luxurious hotel-like spa and lobby. Almost two million shekels were invested in the mikvahs, with most of the amount coming from donations.
A community without a mikvah often means that women have to postpone immersion – especially when Shabbat and holidays occur together, as was the case this year. Beyond that, the experience of the immersion is very meaningful and important for every woman – and for some, the proximity and condition of the mikvah may be a crucial consideration in the very decision of whether or not to go to the mikvah and immerse herself.
