In October we hosted a fascinating evening with Einat Kapach, a director and teacher at the Ma’aleh School of Television, Film and the Arts (https://www.maale.co.il/), who led a public program that explored the portrayal of mikveh in a range of Israeli films. We reviewe films that raise the subject of mikveh, and saw how women on screen raise the topics of mikveh and family purity to examine other important junctures in their lives. By presenting the intimate topics of taharat hamishpacha and mikveh on the screen, the creators of the films seek to raise questions and start discussions about the role of halacha in daily life, both mundane and extraordinary. The films bring to the fore questions about the spiritual meaning of mikveh, the role of mikveh in the relationships between husbands and wives, and new movements for the renewal of mikveh use. This article (in Hebrew) describes the evening, and how the featured movies weave between the personal, intimate reality of mikveh immersion, and the voyeuristic, provocative medium of cinema.
To wet your appetite, check out this film clip portraying a couple’s relationship as the wife prepares to go to the mikveh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YATzWG8-KnA
Dr. Naomi Marmon Grumet is the founder of The Eden Center, and director of the Training Program for Mikveh Attendants. She received her PhD in Sociology. She lives in Jerusalem with her husband and three children.
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