Tahitian breezes blew through Brooklyn Heights last Wednesday night: Fresh fish and Polynesian chicken were being served under an authentic grass Tiki hut; palm trees dotted the room; and visions of pristine, blue-and-tan beaches graced the walls.
An indoor mirage? No, an Orthodox synagogue, Congregation B’nai Avraham, to be exact, and all of the party-goers present were there to celebrate the 13th anniversary of their mikvah — a ritual Jewish bath, whose history goes back, literally, thousands of years.
“People are here because mikvah [the law of immersion] is now, totally current, and even more alive than ever,” said Rabbi Aaron Raskin, the synagogue’s leader, as he surveyed the flower-lei-wearing crowd of 20-something singles, married couples, and diverse guests. Remarked one of the night’s honorees, Naomi Weinberger, “We’re really lucky that we have a Rabbi like ours behind our mikvah, because he’s such an aesthete.”
Sarah Esther Crispe, the night’s featured speaker, took the podium after the five-piece jazz band took a break, and Celia Weintrob, the night’s M.C., gave her a warm introduction. Crispe, author and popular lecturer, spoke frankly of the kind of loving intimacy that a marriage needs to survive — and quite specifically of how the observance of the rite of mikvah could, in her opinion, sustain that.
“Love is a head-to-head, heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul, body-to-body connection,” said Crispe. “[The observance of] mikvah gives us the opportunity to effect the emotional quality of a marriage, to work on our own communication and the ways we demonstrate our love, how we comfort and support our spouse without being physical during the days when the couple has to refrain from physical intimacy.”
Soon after Crispe, two congregants talked frankly of their mikvah practice. One, an honoree of the night, was a newcomer to the neighborhood, Natalie Botton Buchwald, who spoke with tears in her voice of her second-ever visit to the B’nai Avraham mikvah, after the first month after her marriage.
Naomi Weinberger, the night’s other honoree, was introduced by her mother-in-law, Charlotte Weinberger, who spoke of her in glowing terms and added yet a third generation of woman to the night’s testimonials.
“Naomi drove late at night once, and she needed to go to mikvah, and this was before GPS,” related Charlotte. “I remember I found that mikvah,” retorted Naomi, “and was so glad, but it wasn’t nearly as nice as ours, and it makes me so appreciative of what we have. I have seen a lot of mikvahs, and there’s no doubt ours is extraordinary. We have been blessed with terrific mikvah ladies who are connected to the mitzvah to the nth degree. What’s more, its beautiful design is modeled on a Turkish bath mixed with a day spa — it’s a little jewel in our shul.”
After all the speakers left the podium, the dance band, offering standards like “Do Nothing ‘Till You Hear From Me” resumed playing. Guests finished up with dessert, finding complementary spa packages filled with goodies like mirrors and travel size moisturizers on every chair. Overheard at one table, a conversation ensued between a married Orthodox woman and a Conservative Jewish woman — now, it seems, good friends:
“So you’ve never been to mikvah?” asked the first.
“No, I’ve always been too embarrassed; I didn’t how to ask,” replied the other.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” said the Orthodox woman, taking out her cell phone.
“It’s so easy; I’ll just give you my number.”
she worked so hard and party planned this whole event!
You did it again – magnificient