To most Jews, the sign that a Jewish community has “arrived” — i.e., has become large and stable enough to function as a community — is the construction of a synagogue building.
Yet according to Orthodox interpretations of traditional Jewish law, Jews really should construct a different building first — a mikvah or ritual bath.
Why? Because the mikvah is vital to following the “laws of family purity” that govern when observant married couples may have sexual relations, and so create Jewish children and build Jewish families.
Yet in practice today, where a mikvah is available across town, the building of one has become a sign that an Orthodox community has achieved stability, likely permanence and potential for further growth.
And the Orthodox community of Glendale has felt a need for such a structure “for many years,” according to Rabbis Akiva Freilich and Nachman Levine.
That desire appears likely to be realized “within a year,” said Freilich, director of the Ohr HaTorah Jewish Heritage Center, located on Green Bay Ave. half a block south of Good Hope Rd.
The rabbis are now fundraising and planning for the Glendale Community Mikvah, which is to be located in Ohr HaTorah’s building, Freilich said during a telephone interview on May 18.
Other mikva’ot exist in the city of Milwaukee and in Mequon; but the Glendale one will be the first to exist in the North Shore suburbs of Milwaukee County, said Freilich.
And it “definitely” reflects the growth of an Orthodox community in that area, he said. Moreover, “there’s an interest among the younger families that have moved into the Glendale area,” he said.
“And there are many younger families that are part of our educational activities who are potential candidates for mikvah observance.”
Levine, spiritual leader of the Orthodox congregation Anshe Sfard Kehillat Torah, is involved in helping to raise funds for the project. He believes that not only will the new mikvah reflect local growth, but could become a stimulus for more Orthodox families to move into the area.
“Young people who are committed to Jewish observance will want to move into an area that has a mikvah,” he said in a telephone interview on May 18. “Every community should have a mikvah.”
Indeed, ASKT had plans to build a mikvah, but “nothing came of it, Levine said. “We probably would have done it eventually, but now this opportunity came up.”
This project does not just reflect local desire. Freilich said that a national organization called Mikvah USA is helping the local effort.
This organization – based in Brooklyn, according to its still under construction Web site – “assists communities around the country in building mikvahs,” said Freilich.
It provides experts on the halakhah (Jewish laws) of mikvah construction for consultation and assists with fund raising.
Freilich said it is “not clear yet” how much the mikvah will cost nor what proportion of the funds will be raised locally and come from Mikvah USA.
He did say that local architectural firm Phillip Katz Project Development will design the facility, and that it will be “esthetically attractive” and will meet “the highest standards” of Jewish law requirements.
Levine didn’t anticipate any problems with the City of Glendale. “I guess we’ll get the right permits and off we go,” he said.
Formerly op-ed editor, Leon Cohen has written for The Chronicle for more than 25 years.
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