Immersed in a Dream Come True
By Abby Horowitz | MACoM Executive Director
The coming of a new year always carries a sense of optimism and hope; how especially true does that feel for MACoM (Metro Atlanta Community Mikvah) this Rosh Hashanah?
After much dreaming, planning and generous community support, we are just two months away from opening our doors.
MACoM is an independent, pluralistic mikvah whose goal is to provide a safe, warm and welcoming ritual space for all who enter, no matter their identity, background, affiliation or reason for attending the mikvah. Our name comes from a line in Genesis, “Let the waters be gathered to a single place (macom),” and this is indeed how we envision this mikvah: as a gathering point for the various streams of the Atlanta Jewish community.
MACoM will be not just a place for many kinds of people, but also a place for many kinds of experiences.
Some will come to MACoM for a customary immersion, such when converting to Judaism, before a wedding, to mark a woman’s monthly cycle, or to prepare for Shabbat or other Jewish holidays.
Others will visit our mikvah to mark an important lifecycle moment, like a milestone birthday or becoming a bar or bat mitzvah. Still others will turn toward this mikvah as a source of comfort and healing when facing a difficult life situation.
MACoM is dedicated to promoting the use of mikvah in all these varied contexts and will have a full range of resources — including trained mikvah guides and a liturgy bank — to help individuals have a meaningful ritual encounter.
Immersions are just one facet of what we’ll do at MACoM. We’ll have a diverse array of educational programs, ranging from classes in writing your own liturgy to traditional text study to a panel about the role of mikvah in Season 3 of “Orange Is the New Black.” MACoM will be a place not just for immersion, but also for in-depth study, cultural exploration and spiritual growth.
We hope you’ll join us for our community ribbon-cutting Sunday, Nov. 15, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Or visit us at www.atlantamikvah.org to schedule an immersion, sign up to become a volunteer mikvah guide, or learn more about getting involved.
May this new year bring sweetness and blessings to our endeavors as we set out to be a macom kadosh, a holy space, for the Atlanta Jewish community. Shana tova.
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