H EADLINES
Mikvah Continued from Page 1
with the process. As a Chabad
rabbi, Schmidt was used to
interacting with University
of Pennsylvania students and
young professionals.

But as Schmidt has been a
rabbi at Vilna Congregation,
which was founded in 1922,
since 1988, he had nearly three
decades to warm up to the idea
of a mikvah. He eventually
came around, as community
interest in the mikvah reached
a critical mass in the past 10
years and because, as Schmidt
said, a mikvah is crucial to any
Jewish community.

“A mikvah is such an
important thing in the commu-
nity that you’re allowed to sell a
shul to build a mikvah,” Schmidt
said to illustrate his point.

For Jews, particularly Jewish
women who observe taharat
hamishpacha, the mikvah is an
affi rmation of the Jewish value
of family.

“Family truly is the center
of everything,” said Chava
Schmidt, Menachem Schmidt’s
wife and a Mikvah Mai
Shalva committee member.

“A synagogue is very holy, but
it’s not the same. It’s not as
important as a Jewish family.”
The ritual bath was
especially appreciated for Jews
living in Center City. Mikvahs
are oft en needed on Shabbat,
but the only mikvahs in the
area are solely accessible by car.

“ On Shabbos, you can’t
drive to and from the mikvah
on Friday night, so it needs
to be within walking distance,
and that has not been avail-
able,” Chava Schmidt said.

For Brenna Stein, a longtime
supporter of and donor to Mai
Shalva, the closest mikvah was
more than a 30-minute drive
from her home in Center City.

In addition to the mikvah’s
convenience for those already
in the area, Stein believes that
having a mikvah in Center City
will be a driving force in growing
the Jewish community there.

The generosity of the
community members showed
that they agreed, as they raised
more than $800,000 for the
mikvah’s construction.

Vilna Congregation closed
in early 2019 to accommodate
the ritual bath’s construction,
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14 AUGUST 19, 2021
Vilna Congregation began
construction of the mikvah in early
2019. Courtesy of Menachem Schmidt
and demolition began in May
2020 and was completed the
following month. Th at was the
easy part; the mikvah went
through multiple contractors
and architects over the past two
years, slowing the timeline.

“In Hebrew, it’s called a
bilbul — a whole, big confu-
sion,” Schmidt said.

“Construction delays for
COVID-19 further compli-
cated matters, as the city nonprofi t projects are part of
what you hope doesn’t happen,
delayed building inspections.

but always happen,” Schmidt said.

Finally, in March, the
building passed inspection and
the Mai Shalva Mikvah began
the months-long process of
collecting rainwater, as required
ELDER LAW
halachically — by Jewish law —
AND to fi ll a mikvah.

ESTATE PLANNING
Th e shul’s ark and Torahs were
displaced by the construction,
Wills Trusts
and now reside in the build-
ing’s new synagogue space on
Powers of Attorney
the second fl oor, which will also
Living Wills
serve as a fl ex space for educa-
Probate Estates
tional programs and services. In
Protect assets from
its place on the ground fl oor, the
nursing home
women’s mikvah and prepara-
tion rooms now reside.

LARRY SCOTT AUERBACH, ESQ.

Since its soft opening at
CERTIFIED ELDER LAW ATTORNEY
CPA-PFS, J.D., LL.M.,MBA
the beginning of August, the
1000 Easton Road
mikvah has hosted a steady
Abington, PA 19001
stream of women every day,
according to Chava Schmidt.

For consultation call
215-517-5566 or
Stein was one of the fi rst
1-877-987-8788 Toll Free
women to use the mikvah,
Website: www.Lsauerbach.com
following the birth of her child
LEGAL DIRECTORY
www.jewishexponent.com C
The Mai Shalva Center City
Community Mikvah is now open
to women.

JEWISH EXPONENT
in July. Having tried for years to
conceive, Stein would use her
time at a mikvah in the past to
say personal prayers. Now, at
the mikvah she invested in for
years, Stein said she was able
to take time to thank God for
her child.

“We tried for a very, very
long time to have our child,
and we’ve been waiting a very,
very long time to have the
mikvah,” Stein said. “So it feels
very appropriate.”
Additional information
about Mai Shalva, as well as
reservations for the women’s
mikvah, can be found at phila-
mikvah.org/. Th e Schmidts
intend to announce plans for
the men’s mikvah and mikvah
for the keilim, immersion of
vessels, as well as the date of
the grand opening and dedica-
tion of the mikvah, in the
coming days. ●
srogelberg@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0741
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM