Source: The Boston Globe

On May 16, 2002, The Boston Globe featured an article on Anita Diamant and her newly formed organization, Mayyim Hayyim: Living Waters Community Mikveh and Education Center. Diamant, an author and resident of Newton, MA, wants to use her organization "to reinvent the ritual that has traditionally been used only by Orthodox Jews and to build a contemporary mikveh [pool used for ritual bathing] created with the needs of non-Orthodox Jews, men and women, in mind... Although Jews have been using the mikveh for more than 2,000 years, Diamant said, 'It's pretty much been rejected by non-Orthodox Jews. What we're seeing now is a huge reclamation of traditions and a discovery of what's meaningful in ancient rituals'... Mayyim Hayyim will be a community center that offers a comfortable, sacred space for all Jews... With her vision of a contemporary mikveh, Diamant... is merging ancient rituals with contemporary life and moving into uncharted territory... Diamant sees Mayyim Hayyim as a modern gateway into Jewish spirituality housed in a spacious, beautiful center, designed according to Jewish law."