Mikvahs to Start Recycling Water

Ynet

The water at the mikveh (ritual bath) of Pisgat Ze’ev in Jerusalem will soon be recycled thanks to an advanced system, the first of its kind in Israel. The move is expected to save more than a million gallons of water a year.

The experimental recycling program has just recently received the approval of the Health Ministry, which stipulates that the water at a mikveh must be changed once a day.

If it succeeds, 35 other mikvehs across Jerusalem will soon be recycling their water as well, which will save more than 26 million gallons as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

The new filtering and purification system will treat the water each day and then return them to the bath. It will also facilitate online checks of the water’s quality. In Pisgat Ze’ev, Health Ministry officials will supervise the purification process for six months before the system is introduced in other baths.

The system will be installed and operated by Moriah Jerusalem Development Company, which has been supporting the program for two years together with the Jerusalem Municipality.

The company says that aside from saving water, the system will give the ministry additional tools for inspecting the quality of water at mikvehs throughout the city. In addition, the Pisgat Ze’ev trial has been coordinated with the city’s religious council and will respect halachic rulings.

“In the reality in which we live every drop (of water) is valuable,” explains Alex Weisman, head of Moriah. “We believe that the pilot will succeed and that Jerusalem will be a model to other cities in saving water.”

ARCHIVE VIDEO:

Shluchim at Yeshivas Ohr Elchanan Chabad in Los Angeles produced a humorous video about the dedication of a bochur (Chaim Plotkin) to dip in the Mivkah overcoming obstacles. Presented by Mendy Mentz.