MOChassid

The rambling thoughts of a Modern Orthodox Chassid (whatever that means). Contact me at emansouth @ aol.com

Sunday, February 18, 2007

"What About Our Mikvahs"

This post is something you would normally see at Orthomom, but I couldn't hold myself back.

I received a disgusting letter today from the anonymous "Concerned Women For Mikvah Standards". It reads as follows:

OUR LOCAL SUPERMARKETS ARE KOSHER,

WHAT ABOUT OUR MIKVAHS?

Ladies:

* Is your mikvah attendant insuring that your tevilah is kosher?

* When a halachic question arises, does the attendant call a Rav (or does she pasken herself?)

Be aware: not all community mikvahs provide equal service!

DON'T ASSUME THAT PRACTICES IN YOUR MIKVAH ARE MEETING HALACHIC STANDARDS.

THE BEST MIKVAH PATRON IS AN EDUCATED ONE:
WE URGE YOU TO CONTACT YOUR RAV AND DISCUSS
WHETHER THE MIKVAH YOU ARE ATTENDING IS RIGHT FOR YOU.
I am hard-pressed to find the right words to express my disgust at this cowardly letter. I am so tired of anonymous, divisive, community-dividing rechilus slinging. Don't these people realize that what they are doing is worse than anything a mikvah attendant may not be doing? Aren't there better ways of addressing this issue if they feel so strongly about it? If the so-called Concerned Women For Mikvah Standards feel so strongly about this issue that they are willing to cast aspertions on local mikvahs (presumably the Woodmere mikvah) and, by extension, the Rabbanim who are connected to it, let them be man enough (woman enough?) to use their names. Why are they hiding? What are they afraid of?

This makes me sick.

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6 Comments:

  • At 3:26 AM, Blogger Fern @ Life on the Balcony said…

    Eh, I live in an area with a very small number of observant Jews, so there are only two mikvahs within a reasonable drive and they are both run by Chabad to seemingly high standards. I never in a million years thought I would hear of a mikvah scandal. I admit that I have to hold myself back from laughing. What could possibly be going wrong at New York's mikvahs? Do they not have the proper rain water ratio? Is the mikvah lady letting women with nail polish on through?

     
  • At 11:36 AM, Blogger and so it shall be... said…

    "let them be man enough (woman enough?)"


    i'm sure you had it right the first time.

     
  • At 9:11 PM, Blogger Shifra said…

    That is just too weird. It sounds like an ad for Sterns. An educated toiveler is our best customer!

    These people need help - discouraging women from going to the mikvah is horrible practice and I hear about it all the time. Every time I post about mikva related topics on my blog I get at least one mikva bashing comment. Either take constructive action to improve things or shut up. That's pretty much my theory on everything right there.

     
  • At 10:29 PM, Blogger and so it shall be... said…

    "That is just too weird. It sounds like an ad for Sterns. An educated toiveler is our best customer!"

    BRILLIANT!

     
  • At 10:58 PM, Blogger Jacob Da Jew said…

    What a load of crap. DW goes to a few places in the Brooklyn area and they are very makpid.

     
  • At 5:03 PM, Blogger yingerman said…

    Sheesh!
    Just go to a mikvah that you trust to begin with.
    Some people are so bored they need to just buy themselves a TV.

     

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