What is a Mikvah?

The Community Mikvah of Silicon Valley is an intimate place for Jewish spirituality. A new threshold into Jewish life, the Community Mikvah reclaims the ancient tradition of Mikvah for the diverse needs of the 21st century Jewish community in Silicon Valley and the communities surrounding it.

The Community Mikvah opened its doors in January of 2008 and now welcomes visitors from around the Bay Area. Located at the Levy Family Campus in Los Gatos, its sparkling, kosher pool provides Jews with an experience of ritual immersion that can be a source of spiritual renewal, celebration and healing. We honor the full diversity of the Jewish community.

The Community Mikvah of Silicon Valley was created with a generous donation from Eli Reinhard. The mikvah is operated by the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley. The kashrut of the mikvah is overseen by Rabbi Avi Lebowitz.

Mikvah: Hebrew. Gathering (of water). Pool of living water. Immersion in a mikvah renders ritually pure a person who has become ritually impure; immersion is also a way to signify a change of status, i.e.: from unmarried to married; from non-Jewish to Jewish. Also the building that houses such a pool.

What is a Mikvah Used For?

A Mikvah is a Jewish sacred space designed to support Jewish ritual life and the personal transitions of individuals and families in the community. We welcome those visiting the Mikvah for traditional reasons like: married women immersing monthly (niddah/taharat ha-mishpacha), getting married, making dishes kosher, conversion, and preparing spiritually for Shabbat and holidays.

Equally welcome and encouraged are creative reasons to immerse, such as to celebrate a major life transition or change in status. Examples of this type of visit are varied but include reaching a milestone birthday, acknowledging a diagnosis or recovery from illness, marking the end of a mourning period, becoming a bar or bat mitzvah, coming out, or celebrating an anniversary.

Dish Mikvah

Jewish law likens the dining table to an altar because, when done mindfully, eating is a holy act rendering all your cooking utensils divine instruments. For this reason, our dishes and utensils need to be immersed in a dish mikvah or toivel before use. To schedule a tevilah (Hebrew word for immersion), please contact mikvah@jvalley.org. 

To schedule an immersion, please email mikvah@jvalley.org.