Our Operations at the St. Paul Mikvah

As of February 2025, Maayanot is temporarily facilitating clergy-led immersions, such as conversions and affirmations, at the St. Paul Mikvah*, which is under the auspices of Chabad.

Clergy throughout the state of Minnesota are able to schedule immersions for their congregants through an online scheduling platform. Mikveh* attendants welcome immersees and their families to the St. Paul Mikvah and offer a tour and a bit of education about the mikveh ritual. The immersion takes place in a private room. The mikveh pool is filled with warm, treated water combined with mayyim hayyim, living waters, as is traditional. After the immersion, shouts of “Mazal Tov” and joyous singing mark the beginning of a new chapter!

Operational costs are shared among Minnesota synagogues, the Saint Paul Jewish Federation, the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, and Maayanot as well as voluntary donations from immersees. 

“This new arrangement is a stepping stone for Maayanot, as we continue to pursue our vision of building a new mikveh center that will be accessible, welcoming, and inclusive,” said Cantor Rachel Stock Spilker, Maayanot founder and board president.  “Our agreement with the St. Paul Mikvah is an exciting interim arrangement for us and our many organizational and individual supporters.”

*There are two spellings of mikveh/mikvah. Both are correct.

What Minnesota Clergy and Staff Are Saying

“From the scheduling to the warm greeting the moment we walked in the door to the little gift for the conversion candidate -- the details really do make a difference.  It was an all around fantastic experience.  Thank you so much for helping make these moments of entry into the covenant feel warm and inviting -- as they should be.“

-Rabbi Tamar McGill-Grimm
Interim Senior Rabbi
Beth Jacob Congregation, Mendota Heights, MN

“And just so you hear me say it, I've been waiting for this for 7 years - thank you so, so much for all the work you're doing. Our community so desperately, deeply needs this!”

-Nikolina Erickson-Gunther
Membership and Clergy Manager
Shir Tikvah Congregation, Minneapolis, MN

What We Are Building

Once we build our own mikveh, we will have:

  • A disability-accessible building and pool

  • The ability to accept individual appointments to mark a wide array of life moments, both celebratory and healing

  • A group of volunteer mikveh guides to facilitate immersions

  • Space for celebrations, educational classes, and programs

  • A library and artwork reflecting diversity and progressive Jewish values

  • Expanded hours

“Maayanot is taking its place in the Minnesota Jewish community, which is known for its innovation and creativity animating Jewish life,” Cantor Spilker said. “One day, we won’t be able to imagine our community without a mikveh for celebrations, healing, and transformation.”

To learn more, read this TCJewfolk article from February 2025.