Member Spotlight: ImmerseNYC

by Savannah Lipinski, Rising Tide Intern

ImmerseNYC is an innovative mikveh initiative based in Manhattan, New York. Their initiative was born in 2012 through the work of Rabbi Sara Luria and a community of local lay leaders looking to bring the open mikveh movement to New York City. In 2018, ImmerseNYC merged with the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan and continues to operate through the JCC today. ImmerseNYC was an early member of the Rising Tide Network, and Rising Tide and Mayyim Hayyim continue to have an integral role in the work they are doing. Today, ImmerseNYC is the only open mikveh initiative in Manhattan, making them instrumental in the open mikveh movement and the Jewish community of New York City.

ImmerseNYC is unique among the Rising Tide Network as they are an established mikveh initiative, but they don’t have a physical mikveh location. Instead, they partner with mikveh facilities across the New York metropolitan area to provide inclusive mikveh experiences in established mikveh facilities. This has allowed for meaningful community building through a mutual foundation of trust with the more halachically observant Jewish community of New York City, which Rachel Kunstadt of ImmerseNYC sees as being one major strength of their mikveh initiative.

Rachel is excited about the future of mikveh, and she is excited to continue working with Rising Tide to build ImmerseNYC’s presence within the movement. They are currently working on expanding their reach and training new Mikveh Guides this fall through Rising Tide’s Seven Steps Online Mikveh Guide training as well as planning internal Mikveh Guide training and opportunities for connection. Through their programming, ImmerseNYC fosters a strong sense of community among their Mikveh Guides and welcomes all members of the community to become Guides. The thriving collection of Mikveh Guides at ImmerseNYC is an integral part of what Rachel calls the “layers of community” she sees as being a benefit of the Rising Tide Network.

In addition to continuing to expand geographically and build an amazing cohort of Mikveh Guides, Rachel is excited for ImmerseNYC to develop new and innovative ways to meet post-pandemic needs by creating individualized ways to mark transitions and respond to uncertainty in meaningful ways. On this, Rachel shared, “The world is changing, the world is uncertain, and I think mikveh is this beautiful steady stream of water that will always be there. We talk a lot about how you can’t un-kasher a mikveh. It is always there, it is always kosher*, it is always whole and beautiful, and I think that is something that, in a world of so much uncertainty, is beautiful to have this age-old tradition that will always be there.”

A source of pride that Rachel shared is ImmerseNYC’s focus on growth and change in this ongoing landscape. She sees that there is room for growth everywhere, and she is excited to use the resources available through the JCC to foster interdisciplinary education, collaboration, and community within the mikveh space. ImmerseNYC is truly unique in their role within the Jewish community of New York City as well as their efforts within the global open mikveh movement, and their innovative outlook and growth mindset are sure to have a lasting effect within those spaces and beyond.

Learn more and connect with ImmerseNYC at http://www.immersenyc.org/

*While you can’t treif a mikveh, a mikveh can become un-kosher or unfit for ritual use in various situations, including but not limited to, if the pool springs a leak or if building materials are used that are susceptible to tameh (ritual impurity).