Five years after Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, members of the city’s hard-hit Jewish community are pointing to the grand-opening of a mikvah as evidence of the region’s continuing rebirth.
For those affiliated with Chabad-Lubavitch of Louisiana’s RINGGER Women’s Enrichment Center, the construction of the ritual bath caps a years-long struggle nearly derailed by the hurricane. More importantly, they say, the opening of the Mikvah Chaya Mushka will encourage local women to strengthen their observance of Judaism’s laws governing family life.
This is “an area of real respite for a woman, something really calming, soothing and meditative,” said Vivian Cahn, an interior designer with 20 years of experience who donated her time to the project. “This is the single, most important thing for a Jewish community to have.”
Plans for the New Orleans’ facility – which replaces a much-smaller installation built in 1989 – were launched about one year before Katrina hit. Sponsor Lee Rittvo, a clinical social worker and longtime resident, said that she and her husband Steve wanted to give back to a community that had given them so much. They settled on a mikvah with a spa-like atmosphere, and decided to name the women’s center after the matriarchs in their family; RINGGER represents an acrostic of the women’s last names.
The existence of such a place in New Orleans “has a tremendous impact on us personally and on the community,” said Rittvo, who volunteered on the project in addition to providing financial support. “It was an honor for us to do something for the community and a privilege to recognize the amazing women in our lives.”
Details Matter
Bluma Rivkin, who directs Chabad of Louisiana with her husband, Rabbi Zelig Rivkin, said that although the hurricane originally left the Jewish community in shambles – people’s lives were uprooted, synagogues were damaged and Torah scrolls ruined – backers of the mikvah wouldn’t see the project get relegated to the backburner. When the economy tanked, they still pressed on.
“A mikvah is the secret to the longevity of a Jewish marriage,” she explained. “It wasn’t easy, due to a combination of factors. But we’re thankful that, despite the obstacles and the post-Katrina difficulties, the new mikvah is finally open.”
Michele Stross, who met her husband Adam at the Chabad House nine years ago, was among the first evacuees to return to the city after authorities gave the all-clear. Despite the looting and wreckage in the vicinity of the previous facility, she was so determined to keep going to the mikvah that she took a shotgun with her that first time back.
She said she found the new mikvah to be much more comforting and welcoming.
“Every time I go, whether as an attendee or as an attendant, I see the care, detail and effort that were put into it,” she said. “It is remarkable and extremely noticeable.”
Community member Rivka Kehaty said that thanks to the Ruth Esther Cohen Bridal Fund sponsored by the Horowitz Family, brides can celebrate their first visit to the mikvah with a bouquet of flowers and a special gift. Such touches, like the mikvah itself, she said, can have a profound effect on women.
“When you have strong families, the entire community becomes uplifted,” explained Kehaty. “I love taking brides here. The beautiful facility makes it a more joyous commandment to fulfill.”
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