Mikvah Chaya Mushka - RINGGER Women's Enrichment Center
Our Mikvah serves women in a sensitive fashion that enhances the meaning of this ritual and encourages continued participation. It enables each Jewish woman, married to a Jewish man, to discover the spiritual mystery in this life-fulfilling Mitzvah in a tranquil and supportive setting. Exciting women's programming centered on Mikvah is provided to educate, inform, and inspire women.
The state-of-the-art mikvah facility offers the best in comfort, hygiene, aesthetics, and privacy. Our mikvah is fully equipped with all the supplies needed for preparation for immersion and is under strict halachic supervision.
Our Mikvah is designed to provide women in the New Orleans Jewish community and surrounding areas with a modern and luxurious spa-like experience to fulfill the mitzvah of mikvah. It also serves as an educational resource providing tours for schools and synagogues and other interested groups. The reception area, with a lending library, creates a comfortable space for tours, private classes, and bridal celebrations.
Floral bouquets, kosher wine, and gifts for brides and new attendees are a gift of the Ruth Cohen Bridal Fund, sponsored by Aliza and Yaakov Horowitz. The Be'er Miriam Fund in memory of Mrs. Miriam Gordon was founded to promote Mikvah Education and Awareness.
Bridal Experience
Enjoy a private spiritual evening or invite family and friends to join you; we can accommodate your tradition for a special bridal mikvah experience. Our beautiful bridal gift package will make you feel like a queen on your special day! Our Mikvah also offers one-on-one consultation for brides and educational programming related to Jewish family life. Brides, please contact us as far in advance as possible before your wedding so that we can make the best arrangements for you. Bridal mikvah fee: $50.
Our Story
Mikvah Chaya Mushka was originally built in New Orleans in 1989, and opened its doors in May 2010 at its NEW location, the RINGGER Center. Located on the Chabad Uptown campus, the RINGGER Women’s Enrichment Center, which houses the mikvah, was conceived by Lee and Steve Rittvo just before Katrina.
In spite of all the challenges which followed, Lee and Steve Rittvo maintained their generous commitment to the NOLA Jewish community. They dedicated the RINGGER Center, honoring the matriarchs of their family, Selma Rittvo, Regina Nadel, Pearl Green, Sonia Geltzer, and Goldie Rittvo.
According to Jewish tradition, building a mikvah takes precedence over building a synagogue or buying a Torah scroll.
In addition to the Rittvo contribution and a generous gift given by an anonymous couple, donations made by the Kehaty, Lew, Bistritsky, Baitelman, Nathanson, Munitz and Karp families and by Kristie Holm enabled the mikva to be furnished elegantly. Lazer Granite and Marble of New York, Jonathan Zanger of Walker Zanger- California, and Hurwitz-Mintz of New Orleans all contributed generously. The RINGGER Center was initially designed by Seizler Architects, and built by Pinky Rohm. The space was designed by Vivian Cahn with Stafford Tile and Toca Flooring, and guided by international mikva consultant, Rabbi Gershon Grossbaum.
Taharat Hamishpacha and Mikvah
Central to Jewish life are the laws of Taharat Hamishpacha - Family Purity, of which immersion in a Mikvah is an integral part. It is these laws that sustained Jewish families throughout our history.
The laws of Taharat Hamishpacha are the mystical key to a heavenly marriage. Its properties are magnetic, creating an exhilarating attraction between man and woman. Immersion in the mikvah is the essential component of a fulfilling marriage based on the Laws of Family Purity.
The mikvah is a mystical pool of rainwater that transports a person back to the very origins of spiritual purity.
To learn more about Mikvah and Family Purity, and for a directory of Mikvahs throughout the world, please visit Chabad's Global Mikvah Site.
