Rabbi Kotlarsky Announces Mikvah Grants for 22 Communities in Nine Countries

Keren Hashluchim has announced mikvah grants for 22 communities in nine countries as shluchim gather in New York for the International Kinus Hashluchim.

Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, who leads the Shluchim Foundation-Keren Hashluchim, said the grants will help communities where families often travel hours, or even fly, to reach a mikvah. The foundation says it has awarded grants to 123 mikvaos over the past four years.

Recipients in this round include communities in the United States, Costa Rica, Australia, Tanzania, Ukraine, Germany, New Zealand, Argentina and Mexico.

In Lubbock, Texas, Rabbi Zalman and Chana Liba Braun say families currently face a drive of roughly five hours in almost any direction. They have chosen a site at a property purchased last year, and the new grant will help move the project ahead.

In Traverse City, Michigan, Rabbi Laibel and Chaya Shemtov are building a mikvah inside the Chabad House. Families there have traveled about two and a half hours to Grand Rapids. Work on the boir is expected to enter its final stages in the coming weeks.

The new grants continue earlier mikvah-building efforts. More than 75 communities have completed mikvaos through a previous 120 Mikvaos Initiative, according to the foundation. The Merkos Mikvah Package also offers help with planning, halachic requirements, construction and equipment.