Mikvah in Tasmania

Of all the miraculous stories that happened in my life, perhaps this one is at the top of the list. This is not because it takes something tremendously big to happen for us to see G-d’s hand choreographing our lives, but because we all need to have that unique experience when we see that G-d is speaking directly to every one of us independently of the other 7 billion people on this planet.

My husband and I are eager travelers of far and remote places of world. Thus, we embarked on the cruise that started in Sidney, Australia and went to Tasmania and New Zealand. Just a few months before the journey I committed myself to the monthly visits to a Mikvah, as I had studied the significance of the concept in Judaism called “Family Purity”. I learned that the importance of building a Mikvah even precedes buying a Torah scroll for the community. And so, with much excitement and caution, I embraced my new identity of a Jewish woman, as a link between biblical heroes and feminists of modern times.

When I first realized that I will need to use a Mikvah during my journey on the ship, I brushed off my worry with an optimistic thought that I could always use the ocean as a natural Mikvah. I was clearly missing some research data about the temperatures of water around the Tasmanian region. Even if I was a penguin I would probably hesitate before taking a plunge. During the day of my still-not-so-planned visit to the Mikvah, we stopped in the city of Melbourne. My husband and I decided to spend our time visiting a local museum, where we ‘coincidentally’ spotted a religious family on a day trip with children. I approached them and inquired if there was a Mikvah close by. I knew from prior research that there is a big Jewish community in Melbourne. The woman told me that there are few Mikvahs close by but they all opened at night. I did not know then that women immerse in the waters of the Mikvah after dark, right before reuniting with their husband. This was a problem since we were dependent on the schedule of our ship and departure from Melbourne was called for 5 o’clock pm.   The lady asked me where we were going next and I informed her that our next port of call was Hobart, Tasmania. This very friendly couple offered to call their Rabbi to see if there was an opportunity for me to use a Mikvah in Tasmania. They explained that I was not allowed to dip before the scheduled night and would have to do it the next day. All this was new to me. I felt rather determined to make it happen and not miss an opportunity to feel the holiness of the immersion, regardless of where I was in the world. Just the opposite, the challenge of this particular situation made it even more desirable for me to perform this mitzvah. What can I say, I am a ‘problem-solver’ at heart!

After almost an hour of following this friendly family through the museum rooms, as they made one call after another, we were finally free to leave them and the cultural facility behind, as it was finalized that a woman named Penina would meet us at the pier in Hobart and take me to a Mikvah. I was at peace. All I needed was a solid plan and it seemed like it was all going to come together. Who could have imagined that this was not just a regular plan but, a custom made one, particularly designed for me.

When we walked off of the ship in Tasmania, we right away spotted a Jewish woman wearing a long skirt and a wig, to cover her hair. She was absolutely ecstatic to see us. She hugged and kissed me as if I was her long lost child. I was both stunned and pleased to be so welcomed in a strange land by a fellow Jew. I was wondering if anyone was ever that happy to see me in my entire life, including my own parent! As I was contemplating that thought, my husband reminded me that we were embraced with greetings for a purpose and need to get going.

We took a taxi to a private home where a non-Jewish family lived. The Mikvah was built as a separate standing shed-looking structure in the backyard of that home. Penina explained that years ago they lived in this house and when they sold it, the new owners agreed to let the Mikvah remain as a functional facility.

As is customary I began my preparation process of taking a bath and a shower before the immersion. As I turned on the water, the pipes made a loud unwelcoming noise and a brown looking liquid burst out of the faucet. I did not at all anticipate that my preparations would turn into a rather complicated ordeal.

We all saw those comical movies when the character is covered in soap and the water just stops coming out. It turns out that being that character is not actually as entertaining as watching one struggle to remain calm. I pretended to smile and turned to Penina, who was reading Tehilim, Psalms, in the corner of the Mikvah. She was completely wrapped up in her prayer and it took her a minute to see me covered in Shampoo and some brown liquid. She told me to ‘hang in there’ and ran to the home of the owner of the house. After a few minutes of contemplating whether to cry in despair or laugh at my ridiculous situation, two women emerged with pots of warm water to wash away the soap from my body. I felt rather vulnerable, thinking of biblical times as two women poured water over my body. This whole experience seemed absolutely surreal.

After a few more trips to fill the buckets with water, I was finally washed and ready to be ‘purified’. As I walked down the steps to the actual Mikvah, I saw Penina’s face completely transformed and illuminated. She prayed and wept as I was saying the blessing. These words have been recited by millions of holy Jewish women of the past and the present after they immersed in Mikvahs around the world. I had no doubt that the future generations will do the same.

I was moved by her reaction. I never saw anyone so profoundly and genuinely happy to see another Jew perform a mitzvah. When I walked out and dried myself, I felt so overwhelmed by emotions and started a ‘normal’ conversation. I asked how long ago this Mikvah was built. Penina informed me that this Mikvah was build 23 years ago. She explained that it was absolutely vital that Tasmania should have a Mikvah of its own in case any visitors would need to use it. I think I must mention that Penina herself was over the age when a woman needs to immerse on a monthly basis and the ‘community’ of the whole island of Tasmania has only 102 Jews, scattered all over. There are no religious Jewish women in the whole island and thus the Mikvah remains empty, waiting for the chance to serve its purpose.

Thus, I asked Penina an obvious and rather logical question.

“How many visitors have used the Mikvah since it was built?”

The answer changed me forever.

Penina smiled and said “You see Sofya, you are the first one.”

And so it was demonstrated to me that in a moment of darkness, one must always remember that you are not alone. The world was specifically designed to carve a unique place just for you to fulfill your needs and potential.

Who could have thought that in a faraway place like Tasmania, literally half way around the world, a Jewish woman was taking care of the Mikvah for 23 years so that I could one day enter its waters and recite an eternal prayer of connection to millions of voices of Jewish destinies.

What a lesson of faith to know that the world is precisely designed with you in mind!