Mikvahs in Israel | Imamother

amother

Sun, Mar 23 2014, 12:14 pm

We're considering moving to Israel from the USA and trying to do some research.

I would like to find out which mikvahs in Israel are
-Nice and clean by American standards
-Prefer a mikvah that is frequented by secular women and thus, mikvah ladies who are used to non-religious women
-Non-pushy mikvah ladies who speak either English or French. Prefer English, but French will do.
-Preferably located near Ra'anana or Netanya, although willing to travel for a better mikvah experience.

Thanks!

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Mar 23 2014, 1:27 pm

amother wrote:

What are clean by american standards? What does that mean? I have never been in a -- mikvah in israel that was dirty at all (not sure what you think israeli mikvah are like)
- mikvahs that are frequented by secular women will be in big cities that have both religious and secular populations.
- english speaking mikvah ladies? That specific. You have to find out who the mikvah ladies are in mikvaot and what language they speak. Each mikvah in this country will be different.
-how far are you willing to travel?

Sanguine

Sun, Mar 23 2014, 2:40 pm

amother wrote:

You're considering moving to Israel and you want to know where there's a nice mikva? That's how you're going to pick your community and schools for your kids??

A few years ago I was visiting America and went to the Mikva in Flatbush on Ocean Avenue and Avenue L. I think the waiting room was nicer than most 5 star hotels here.

Honestly, I don't believe this is a serious question - I think it's left over from Purim. If it is and you're researching the niceness of the Mikvas to help you choose where to make aliya to - I think you're wasting your time and ours

Success10

Sun, Mar 23 2014, 2:52 pm

Sanguine wrote:

This could be part of the research she is doing, she is not basing her move only on the local mikvahs. And some people have real mikvah issues, or high hygiene standards, this might be a thing of hers that's really holding her back from coming.

DrMom

Sun, Mar 23 2014, 3:08 pm

- You will most likely find English- or French-speaking mikvah ladies in communities with a high percentage of English- or French-speakers (Ra'anana/Beit Shemesh/Modi'in/Chashmonaim for English, Netanya for French, Jerusalem for both, etc.).

I must say I've never really had a lot to discuss with my mikvah lady, so I've never considered the fact that hebrew is not my first language as an impediment to mikvah usage here. A limited list of ~2 dozen Hebrew terms is all that is necessary for my interactions with my ML.

Anyhow, I'm sure there's something that fits yout needs in Ra'anana. It's a mixed city with a high percentage of English-speakers.

shabbatiscoming

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 3:41 am

DrMom wrote:

Dr Mom, about english speakers, you would think that in concntrated areas there would be english speaking mikvah ladies. I lived in modiin for a year. Went to three or four different mikvaot. Not one english speaking mikvah lady Smile

also in rbs with a big concentration of english speakers, at least 9 years ago, there were no english speaking mikvah ladies, so there is no correlation there. just wanted to share.

etky

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 3:48 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

also in rbs with a big concentration of english speakers, at least 9 years ago, there were no english speaking mikvah ladies, so there is no correlation there. just wanted to share.

This made me chuckle because here in Efrat we have many English speaking Mikvah ladies. There are even one or two whose Hebrew is minimal and THAT is the problem.

5*Mom

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 3:48 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

also in rbs with a big concentration of english speakers, at least 9 years ago, there were no english speaking mikvah ladies, so there is no correlation there. just wanted to share.

There are definitely English-speaking ml's here. I don't know that our mikvaot are what OP is looking for, though.

chanchy123

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 3:57 am

In Ginot Shomron there are English speaking ML (one also speaks Spanish I think she might also speak French) and secular women use the mikva as well. It's pretty basic so I don't know if it would qualify as "nice", but always clean, and it's not so far from Ra'anana.
However, I'd like to add, that many ML are not pushy and very nice and friendly even in places where no secular women live. There is a lot of effort in Israel to improve everything to do with mikvaot.

Last edited by chanchy123 on Mon, Mar 24 2014, 3:59 am; edited 1 time in total

DrMom

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 4:24 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

also in rbs with a big concentration of english speakers, at least 9 years ago, there were no english speaking mikvah ladies, so there is no correlation there. just wanted to share.

I just meant that the *probability* of encountering an English-speaking ML will be higher in an area with lots of English-speaking residents. But it's no guarantee. Smile

amother

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 6:58 am

Not sure why you specifically want a mikvah frequented by secular ladies, but if it's for a reason similar, I'm posting this....
Two of my good friends, both Baal teshuva recently told me that they had gone to chareidi mikvas, and when the mikva lady saw the tattoo on the one she started crying and blessing her. The same thing happened when the other one asked a question about cleaning.out old body piercing holes....
Mikva ladies are very accepting and if you are looking for a secular lady mikva for that sort of reason, don't worry...

wispalover

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 7:20 am

I would not recommend living in Netanya for any other reason *except* the mikva here. It is a privately owned Sephardic mikva and it is the most beautiful mikva I have ever been to in this country. I should add it is also only 18 shekels for a really pleasant experience, as opposed to the beautiful but vastly over-priced mikva that Etky mentioned above (Ivria in Givat Shmuel is 75 shekels for a basic room+mikva use).
The mikva in Netanya is on a tiny road called "Struma" and is near Kanyon Hasharon. I posted about it a few months ago I think.
http://imamother.com/forum/vie.....tanya

wispalover

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 7:39 am

Sanguine wrote:

I disagree. I LOVED the mikva I went to in the States. It was a beautiful, beautiful Chabad mikva, with an amazing mikva lady who I really liked and respected, and I knew it would be really hard to leave her and the personal attention she gave me (and the special late hours she gave me).
I do not think it is a weird request to find out where the really nice Mikvas are and build that into your decision of where to live- I was just lucky to find that Netanya has a really nice one. The other one near me is beyond grotty and I feel dirty just taking off my flip flops there- for some people, a nice mikva really is a deal breaker.

m in Israel

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 8:22 am

Sanguine wrote:

Relax, Sanguine! She didn't say she is decided where to live based on the mikvah. She said she is trying to research a mikvah -- in other words, she is trying to figure out what mikvah to use. Where on earth do you get the idea that she is picking a community or school based on mikvah location -- quite the contrary, she even specified what areas she is thinking about (near Rana'na or Netanya), but explained she is even willing to travel to have a better mikvah experience.

I personally think this is a very normal think to research when moving to a new area, especially since BH here in Israel there are many choices of mikvahs -- why shouldn't OP get information as to which one is good for her? And to respond to a reasonable question by accusing OP of being "left over from Purim" is not very nice.

OP, sorry I don't know the areas you are asking about. There is an absolutely beautiful mikvah in RBS B, but it is very Chassidish -- definitely not catering to a secular crowd (although of course everyone is welcome there and I found the mikvah ladies always to be very nice), and no English speaking ML as far as I know (although plenty of Yiddish speaking ones!). It sounds like wispalover's idea might be good for you, though.

Sanguine

Mon, Mar 24 2014, 9:35 am

You people are too much Surprised

I'm married 28 years and I've been to a lot of mikvas. The only one I ever found really gross was the lake in camp on a Friday night (and it was drizzling too). The only mikva lady that I ever found pushy was the Ocean Ave and Avenue L 5 star hotel who insisted on cleaning my toenails with a toothpick (guess she was trying to earn the $40 that I was paying). I really never heard of pushy mikva ladies till this forum - I guess there are different mikvas for Chareidim and the MLs really feel it's their responsibility to "get you in the mood". Our Rav here tells the mikva ladies that it's really up to the woman to decide if she wants more checked and help with anything. They'll point out things but if I tell them I've done my best and that's it, they never push.

When you move to a community you ask some of the women where the mikva is. I've never heard of checking it out from 100's or 1,000's of miles away (unless you're going to some very small place and want to make sure there actually is a mikva). Is the mikva going to affect where she moves? So when is she coming? Maybe we can start working on her mikva now and get it up to Ocean Ave 5 star standards. (BTW - I don't think Ranana has English speaking mikva ladies - maybe some days)

Really - Am I the only one who finds all these questions from miles away for some future date a bit much?