Opening of the First Mikvah in Oxford in over 700 years

Opening of the First Mikvah in Oxford in over 700 years

Over 150 people attended the grand opening ceremony of the Oxford Mikvah, built by Chabad of Oxford on the site of the Oxford Chabad House. The state-of-the-art Mikvah, which cost over £250,000 to build from scratch, took over 6 years of planning and construction and was formally opened on June 12 by the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yona Metzger, who flew in especially for the event.

The event was attended by many dignitaries and leading rabbis, including Dayan Menachem Gelly, Head of the London Beth Din, Rabbi Nachman Sudak, Head of Lubavitch UK, the Lord Mayor of Oxford Cllr. Susannah Pressel, city councillors, members of the Jewish community and students. As the Mikvah will be serving also regional communities, there were also present representatives from the Reading Hebrew Congregation. The Mikvah is called the “Slager Family Mikvah” after the name of its principle benefactor, Oxford alumnus David Slager.

Rabbi Eli Brackman, director of Chabad of Oxford, explained that the completion of the Oxford Mikvah fulfils a 153-year-old vision by the founders of the Oxford Jewish community in 1845. Responding to a questionnaire from Chief Rabbi Nathan Adler asking whether there was a Mikvah in Oxford, the community of just 4 families and one paid Shochet responded “Not Yet”. This was in contrast to other larger provincial Jewish communities which simply responded “No”. More recently, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneersohn, in 1988, requested that a Mikvah be built in Oxford. The opening of the Mikvah 20 years later fulfils this request.

The building of the Mikvah is the first in over 700 years, and reinstates an important aspect of the medieval Jewish community, which almost certainly had a Mikvah. According to historians, it would have been in one of the basements of the houses on “Great Jewry St”, currently St Aldate’s in Oxford city centre, similar to other medieval Mikvaot in England before the expulsion of the Jews in 1290.

Mrs. Helena Harper from the Oxford Jewish community, who represents the Board of Deputies, said “the opening of a Mikvah here in Oxford has the utmost significance for the future of Anglo-Jewry outside the major centres.”

The guest speaker at the opening of the Mikvah was leading Hasidic feminist Rebbetzin Rivka Slonim, director of Binghamton Chabad Centre, who flew from the US for the opening. She captivated the crowd for over an hour explaining why the ritual of Mikvah has such a central place in Jewish communities and even takes precedence over a synagogue. It is the sacredness of true intimacy with potential to conceive future generations that is one of the reasons for the Mikvah bath, in addition to enhancing ones intimate relationship.

However, she warned against conflating spirituality with Divine when it comes to Mikvah bathing. Although many find great spiritual rejuvenation in the Mikvah, explaining the resurgence of Mikvah across the world across all Jewish sectors, this should not be the reason for immersing, as some might not feel this lofty feeling. It should be accepted as a transcendent Divine commandment to the Jewish people.

The Chief Rabbi of Israel paid tribute to the grandfather of the benefactor David Slager who died in Auschwitz and would have been extremely proud of the contribution to the Mikvah by his grandson, David.

The architect was Stern Thom Fehler architects and the Mikvah was designed by Rabbi Gershon Grossbaum from Minnesota. It is under the supervision of the London Beth Din.

To commemorate the opening, a special website has been launched www.oxfordmikvah.org with a plethora of articles and information about the concept of Mikvah.