The Jewish community in the Australian capital of Canberra inaugurated the territory’s first-ever ritual bath, with diplomats joining local leaders in celebrating the new Mikvah Chaya Mushka.
U.S. Ambassador Jeffery Bleich officially opened the facility by cutting the ceremonial ribbon; an afternoon tea and tour for the 60 attendees followed the Feb. 15 event, which was coordinated by Rabbi Dan and Naomi Avital, directors of Chabad-Lubavitch of the Australian Capital Territory.
According to local resident Anita Shroot, who initiated the project with fellow resident Shoshana Creigh, the new bath opens up a world of possibilities for families who might consider living in the capital. Home to Parliament House, the High Court, and numerous government departments, the city’s lack of a mikvah had presented a burden to Jewish women wanting to observe Judaism’s complex laws of ritual purity. Until now, the closest ritual bath was three hours away in Sydney.
“It’s now easier for young women to go use the mikvah properly without having to travel and leave their families,” said Shroot, who’s lived in Canberra for 30 years. “I think more Jewish people will consider moving to Canberra for work because there’s a mikvah here. Before, it might have been a deciding factor in why they wouldn’t come here.”
In his speech, community president Manny Waks called the inauguration “a great milestone for the Jewish community in our nation’s capital.” He pointed out that such a facility is “an essential component of the foundation” of any community.
Under the direction of the Avitals and the supervision of Rabbi Aharon Serebryanski, a Melbourne-based authority on the operation of ritual baths, construction on the facility began in May 2010. It unofficially opened earlier this year, as local women flocked to the state-of-the-art bath. It boasts a top-of-the-line water purification system that uses natural minerals such as magnesium and potassium chloride from the Dead Sea, instead of the more commonly used chlorine.
A Bright Future
According to Dan Avital, the system was a more expensive choice, but has the advantage of being more environmentally friendly and gentler on eyes and skin.
“In general, we’ve tried to not cut any corners in building this mikvah,” said the rabbi. “Everything in the mikvah is quality.”
For his part, Eliezer Kornhauser, who underwrote the project, signaled the facility’s spiritual importance and called it a harbinger of things to come.
“The availability of a mikvah will undoubtedly introduce an additional dimension of holiness and purity into the lives of Jews living in Canberra,” he said. “The most important next step will be to secure already identified facilities to establish Canberra’s first Jewish school.”
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