CER holds Training Seminar for Mikve Attendants in

Kiev, Ukraine - 4-Jul-06

For the first time since the fall of communism in the former Soviet Union, a training seminar was organised by the CER for mikve attendants – the women at the forefront of the massive expansion of mitzvat taharat hamishpacha – in Ukraine.

The seminar, which was held in Kiev on July 4/5, 2006, is part of the CER Mikve Project in eastern and central Europe and was held in cooperation with Hamercaz Letaharat Hamishpacha in Israel and with financial support from the leading Kiruv organisation in the FSU, Ner Le’Elef.

The seminar is an extension of the building and renovation of mikvaot in eastern Europe, a project launched by CER Executive Director Rabbi Aba Dunner.

The success of the Mikve project has led to a need to train new mikve attendants in this important work while many of those already working in the field had formerly only received basic training in this area and had a need for more specific professional guidance.

In any community where the development of the practice of mitzvot is on the rise, these women play a vital and key role. Apart from the need to diffuse knowledge of the pertinent halachot, the women also need to educate on all issues of taharat hamishpacha, to assist in shalom bayit, and to have detailed technical knowledge with regard to the kashrut of the mikvaot.

This carries with it a huge responsibility for these women; any error on their part could lead to women no longer attending the mikve.

The seminar was organised through the CER and Hamercaz Letaharat Hamishpachah Beyisrael, - an organisation with some 60 years experience in training mikve attendants – under the guidance and management of Harav Gedaliya Olstein, an expert working for the Mercaz and head of the CER Mikve Department.

Sessions at the seminar were taken by experienced trainers; Rabbanit Chaya Kupperman (daughter of Harav Hatzaddik Rav Yitzhak Zilber ZTz”L) and Rabbanit Yehudit Kaplan.

The success of the seminar owed a great deal to the sterling organisational skills and support of Harav Yaacov Tippogrof, head of the Russia Department of Ner Le’Elef, who, together with Harav Yehuda Lekumsov and Harav Natan Kitishker, Executive Director of Kehillat Aish Hatorah in Kiev managed all the necessary details for the seminar including the kashrut and permanent security presence at the location.

Twenty-one women from 13 cities in six countries attended the seminar which consisted of two full, 12-hour days. Since most of the women are also mothers, full creche facilities were made available on site with professional child-carers.

Much advance preparation was given to the content of the seminar to make it both applicable to new balaniyot as well as those with wider experience in the field.

Attendants at the seminar also received kits and guide books on mikvaot in Russian.

The first shiur dealt with the basic halachot of tevilah and taharat hamishpachah. The second “through out” day-to-day questions which arise with mikvaot to the participants in order to ascertain the level of each and every participant.

Later in the seminar, the women learnt issues regarding the structure and kashrut of mikvaot both before and during tevila.

Similarly, panel discussions were held with participants where each raised specific problems from their own localities.

With such an intensive and deep programme, time was set aside on the first evening for a more informal session where the women were shown a film by Batya Bar on Jewish life in Russia. Even after the film ended, discussions on mikvaot went on into the night.

At the close of the second day, the women took tests on what they had learned over the course of the two days. Almost all the participants passed these tests with flying colours. Nevertheless, the rabbaniyot were careful to go over each and every question on a one-to-one basis. When it comes to hilchot mikvaot, nothing less than 100 percent correct will suffice.

The women also received a list of local rabbonim and poskim to send urgent questions about taharat hamishpachah and even how to send these by train if necessary.

At the close of te seminar, the women participants recived gifts from the Mercaz and the CER – cosmetics from Yam Hamelach, children’s gifts including a CD of Jewish stories, kosher sweets which are unavailable in the FSU and a siddur for women. Those who successfully passed the tests also recived a diploma attesting to their professionalism as balaniyot.

The seminar closed with a joyous event in which rabbanim from Russia, Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus took part.

Rav Olshtein warmly thanked all those who had taken part and particularly paid tribute to the outstanding work of Ner Le’Elef and its representative, Harav Yaacov Tippogrof.

The organisers of the event also noted the immense desire on the part of the women to learn hilchot taharat hamishpacha and tevila and promised to raise funds so that similar successful events can take place in the future. ENDS