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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Park Slope Mikvah is a Mitzvah

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The entrance to the Mei Sarah Park Slope Mikvah
The entrance to the Mei Sarah Park Slope Mikvah
The Park Slope Jewish community in Brooklyn recently celebrated the opening of the William and Betty Katz Center for Jewish Life. The three story center boasts mikvaot, religious ritual baths, for both men and women, as well as a visitors center and guest rooms. Its opening will serve to further strengthen Jewish life in Park Slope.

When Rabbi Shimon and Sarah Hecht moved to Park Slope in 1986 to serve as Chabad emissaries, the neighborhood was still known for its working-class appeal and corner-store bodegas. As Park Slope has heralded Brooklyn’s rebirth and gentrification, Chabad has expanded to meet the needs of a growing community. To date they have opened multiple satellite branches and Chai Tots nursery schools.

The Mei Sarah Park Slope Mikvah, a gift of the Drizin family named for Sarah Drizin, the family’s matriarch, is the neighborhood’s first ever women’s mikvah.  Its state-of-the-art facilities create a spa-like atmosphere, offering a warm and inviting environment for women interested in this special mitzvah. Guests visiting friends and family in the nearby Methodist Hospital will find room and board in the Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht guest suites.

The 1.8 million dollar structure, built by YHS construction and designed by SG Interiors, occupies a prime location in Park Slope’s residential area. The parcel of land was a gift of Park Slope real estate moguls Stevie and Howie Katz.

According to Rabbi Hecht, the new center underscores the unity of Brooklyn’s diverse Jewish community. “Jews from all backgrounds and walks of life came together to make this center a reality,” Rabbi Hecht says. “Donors from all groups and denominations contributed to making this center a reality. Together they have helped create an edifice that will reach beyond the borders of our neighborhood and touch the lives of generations to come.”

Guests quickly turned to social media to share their excitement about the new center. Mrs. Ronanit Levy, a Park Slope local, posted on her Facebook page that the mikvah was “[l]ike the nicest spa you’ve ever been to, complete with Jerusalem stone hallways, pebbled stone floors, a huge terrace, and an online reservation system” letting guests choose the light settings, water temperature and music for their visit.

Use of the mikvah is by appointment only.

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