By Amy Goldstein
The Young Israel of Merrick will move from 107 Hewlett Ave. to 12 Kirkwood Ave. within the next year and will build a mikvah, or ritual bath, on its premises. With the new building comes the hope of bringing more Orthodox Jews to Merrick, Young Israel leaders say.
A mikvah is a pool of pure water in which Jewish women immerse themselves to attain ritual purity. Women dunk beneath the surface of naturally flowing water after childbirth or menstruation. A mikvah is so important that a community may sell a Torah scroll if it needs the funds to construct one.
Building the mikvah is a major step toward fulfilling the goal that the rabbi of the Young Israel of Merrick has had for 11 years. "My dream when I came here was to continue to build a viable Torah community," Rabbi Marc Volk said. "This mikvah will hopefully serve as an inspiration to many Jews in and around Merrick."
His wife, Jeryl Volk, wants the mikvah to become a "center of spirituality." The synagogue now has 60 members, and about 40 percent of the congregation's women use a mikvah, she said. "There's this whole community out here that has no idea what mikvah is, and whatever ideas they might have ... it's almost like comical to them that they have no clue of what it means, what it can do to a family, the relationship between a husband and wife."
The project will cost $300,000 and $400,000, Rebbetzin Volk said. She said the synagogue's mikvah committee has received two significant donations, but is looking for more.
The project requires such extensive funding because a man who made a significant donation requested that it be used only to build "the most beautiful mikvah on Long Island," Jeryl Volk said.
The man was a guest who came to the synagogue for a bar mitzvah celebration nearly three years ago. He told Rabbi Volk that he enjoyed the davening, or prayer, but moreover, he enjoyed watching the connection that the rabbi had with the bar mitzvah boy. "He said to my husband, 'You know, rabbi, I was so taken by the whole service here -- how you know this boy, how you talk to him. Do you have a mikvah in this community?" Jeryl Volk said. "My husband said, 'No, but we're considering it.' He [the guest] said, 'I'm going to send you a check, but I want you to promise it will only be used to build a mikvah.'"
The Volks thought the check would be for $500 at most. But the figure the man penned was $18,000.
The good fortune continued as Jeryl Volk went before the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals on Dec. 6. Parking was the key to getting the OK to build. Once Curé of Ars Roman Catholic Church and the Reform Temple Beth Am gave permission to use their parking lots, Jeryl Volk said, "It was a done deal."
Next comes the building. The mikvah committee has hired a contractor, and groundbreaking will soon take place. There is now a two-story home at 12 Kirkwood Ave., but it will be torn down to build the synagogue and mikvah.
Logistics have already been worked out. "We've been registered with the state already; we have a license for a non-profit organization," Jeryl Volk said. "We have a board of directors. Now we just need to put together a beautiful brochure once we have all the drawings completed and start doing a fund-raising campaign."
The mikvah will need funds on a consistent basis, and Volk has outlined plans to keep the coffers filled. "We'll host parlor meetings and events," she said. "It's not only raising money for the mikvah itself, it's also the upkeep of the mikvah - the costs of cleaning the supplies, cleaning the robes ... all these things are ongoing expenses."
According to Young Israel of Merrick's mikvah committee chairman, Ira Bernstein, the upkeep of the mikvah should cost $5,000 to $6,000 annually.
The goal of the project is to bring more Orthodox Jewish couples to Merrick, Jeryl Volk said. Currently, the nearest mikvahs to Merrick are in Oceanside, West Hempstead, Plainview and Woodmere.
But it's not just strength in numbers that the synagogue seeks, Marc Volk said. "Through education and exposure, people grow. We want to look for growth in this community - not just physical; more important is spiritual growth," he said. The mikvah and new synagogue building "will be the crowned jewel in the continuing development of our community."
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