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by Haviva Ner-David (Author), Rachel Stock Spilker (Author), Meira Ner-David (Illustrator)
Meet Yonah, a quirky kid obsessed with fish, who is about to start kindergarten. The day before school starts, Yonah's parents take her to the mikveh, a ritual immersion pool, to mark her transition from preschool to kindergarten. When her brother, who also went to the mikveh when he was starting kindergarten, tells her she'll love the fish at the mikveh, she is excited to go. But when she goes into the pool to dunk, she can't find the fish. Was her brother just teasing? Read Yonah and the Mikveh Fish to find out!
Yonah and the Mikveh Fish was born from the desire of Rabbi Haviva Ner-David and Cantor Rachel Stock Spilker, both involved in the open mikveh movement, to introduce the ritual of full body mikveh immersion to children and their families. Mikveh is an experiential and meaningful option for people of all ages to mark transitions, significant occasions, and life cycle events.
Over the past twenty years, there has been a mikveh renaissance in the progressive Jewish world. Open community mikvaot (plural of mikveh)-where people can immerse how and when they choose-are popping up around the globe. By following lovable Yonah at the mikveh as she prepares for kindergarten, children and adults will begin, we hope, to imagine going to the mikveh themselves.
