As the Teaneck Mikvah enters its ninth year of use in the new building, patrons from areas even outside North Jersey have come to appreciate the beautiful facility and all that it offers.
“Baruch Hashem, the mikvah sees lots of use,” said Nomi Rotblat, president of the mikvah. “It needs to be maintained appropriately so it can continue to be a beautiful and inspiring place for women.”
Each year, 600 women on average gather together at Keter Torah for the mikvah’s annual fundraiser. This evening is more than just a night out or a way to monetarily support the mikvah. “The mikvah event has come to be a unifying event for the entire community,” said Rotblat.
Proceeds raised from the annual dinner enable the mikvah to close the budget gap that the nightly usage fees and other fundraising do not cover. Although the mikvah board is grateful to the shul memberships, presidents and rabbis for adopting the mikvah assessment on the shul bills, these funds still do not fully cover the operating costs such as insurance, salaries, utilities, mortgage payments, repairs and other bills that occur over the course of the year.
“The sponsorships from the annual event are what allow us to pay our bills,” said Ruchi Tiger, the mikvah’s treasurer. The Teaneck Mikvah Association prides itself on keeping things in top shape and up to date. With its high volume of usage, both in the regular mikvaot and the keilim mikvah, constant maintenance and repairs are required; everyone aims to take care of them in as timely a manner as possible.
Monthly mikvah usage hovers around 1,000 patrons. Besides regular use, the past two years have seen over 100 kallot each year. “We try to make this experience a special one and many of these kallahs travel back afterwards to use this mikvah, even if they don’t live in Bergen County right now. They truly appreciate the beautiful facility and, more importantly, the royal treatment provided by our professional and dedicated shomrot,” stated Rotblat.
The Teaneck South Mikvah on Sterling Place is used almost every Friday night, as well as on Yom Tov nights. “The Sterling Place Mikvah on the ‘south side of town’ allows the women who live farther from Windsor Road to observe the mitzvah as easily as possible,” said Rotblat.
This year the mikvah is excited to host Danielle Renov, the foodie and face behind peaslovencarrots.com, a popular website and Instagram account with over 30,000 followers, featuring recipes and day-to-day cooking inspiration for easy, family-friendly meals. “We are privileged to host Danielle Renov to share her positive spirit, enthusiasm and energy with our community,” said Alisa Levy, the mikvah’s chief operating officer. “Danielle has created a unique community through social media by forging personal connections with her many followers.”
The annual women’s event is an evening of unity and inspiration, appealing to a broad spectrum of the neighborhood, and highlighting the multi-generational significance of the mikvah in the community. “Each generation and each shul and school membership use the mikvah and have a responsibility to maintain and build upon what the previous generation initiated,” said Rotblat.
The event will take place on Wednesday, November 14, at Congregation Keter Torah, 600 Roemer Avenue in Teaneck. Please join together to support the Teaneck Mikvah. To register or to sponsor, please visit teaneckmikvah.com/event.
By Jenny Gans
