Most people do not think of a mikveh as a kiruv
tool, but the Mikveh of East Denver (MOED) has proven to be
just that in its five years of existence. It is to its credit
also that no michsholim have come out of its
operation.
The Mikveh of East Denver was opened on erev Rosh Hashanah,
1998. The mikveh won an award from the American
Institute of Architects (AIA) for its beautiful design. The
tevilah pools are oval. The total construction budget
was about $350,000.
The mikveh is designed to be an "outreach mikveh,"
that is, to attract people who previously did not use a
mikveh. To this end, special emphasis was placed on the
beauty of the design of the mikveh pool and a
configuration to ensure maximum privacy. The reason why some
non-frum Jews choose mikveh as their first mitzvah is
due to its private nature: no one need know they are
observing it. No public identification with Orthodox Judaism
need be made. Therefore, it was very important to design the
mikveh with maximum privacy assured.
Also, MOED was built on a prominent street in a Jewish
neighborhood -- so that it would be seen and inquired about.
MOED's construction and opening were widely publicized, and
it is consistently advertised.
Another important achievement is the elimination of all
chlorine and chlorine smell. This was achieved through an
ultraviolet disinfectant device through which the water
passes as part of its filtering process. In conjunction with
this, it is necessary to add a very small -- but accurately
calibrated -- quantity of hydrogen peroxide. This requires
measurements to be taken in the mikveh three to four
times weekly -- i.e., the mikveh is "high maintenance." But
the final result of all this is that the mikveh water
is not only clean, but it looks and smells very clean.
The final aspect of MOED's outreach is its no-conversion
policy. There are no conversions in MOED, no matter who the
sponsoring rabbi is.
Conversions in Denver
In Denver in 1983, it was revealed that a so-called "joint
conversion" program, consisting of non-Orthodox rabbis and of
rabbis with Orthodox semichoh (but serving in shuls
without mechitzos) had been operating in secret
for some six years. Hundreds of conversion candidates passed
through the program -- the exact number was never
established. The program did not insist on a genuine
kabolas mitzvos. The Denver program broke up in
controversy and, within the Orthodox Jewish community, in
scandal.
An internal document written by Rabbi Stanley Wagner, the
coordinator of the Denver Conversion program, was obtained by
the Vaad Horabbonim Haolami Leinyonei Giyur founded by HaRav
Chaim Kreiswirth. This document admits that it is virtually
certain that a significant number of the converts did not
begin to observe all the mitzvos. It is well known that the
opinion of the gedolei haposkim is that a genuine and
complete kabolas mitzvos is a requirement for
conversion, even bedi'eved. It should be noted that
the Denver Joint Conversion Program was a model for
subsequent joint conversion programs, including the proposal
of the Ne'eman Commission in Israel that was approved by the
Israeli Knesset. Even though this program was strongly
condemned by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, the Jewish Agency
sponsored conversion Ulpanim that are operating in Israel,
and the Special Conversion Courts cooperate and convert
graduates of these courses in defiance of the ruling of Chief
Rabbinate.
It was felt strongly that Denver needed a tikkun and
that therefore the new mikveh in East Denver should
allow no conversions whatsoever. This would ensure that no
non-halachic conversion was performed in the mikveh --
and that many new people would come to use the mikveh
(see below). Another reason not to allow any conversions
was that it was felt that proper conversions require a
beis din kovu'a vechoshuv and no such beis din
exists in Denver.
Before embarking on the MOED project, Rabbi Hillel Goldberg
consulted with many rabbonim on the no-conversion policy.
They all told him that if the no-conversion policy were a
public, open policy, and that if it were made perfectly clear
up front before taking a contribution from any non-Orthodox
Jew, everyone agreed that there was no need to allow such use
of the mikveh.
This policy was not adopted without sacrifice. A promised
$75,000 contribution was withheld -- and made conditional
upon a change of the no-conversion policy. A major Jewish
foundation turned down MOED's application for a grant due to
its no-conversion policy. Many thought the mikveh would never
be finished due to the policy, and they pressured to change
the policy. However the mikveh was completed five
years ago, and there has never been a single conversion done
in MOED.
Another reason for the no-conversion policy: Most non-frum
Jews have heard of mikveh only in conjunction with
conversion. They have little or no knowledge of taharas
mishpochoh.
One idea behind the mikveh was that if a no-conversion
policy were in place, many non-frum Jews would begin to ask
why this mikveh was needed at all. That question would
generate much potentially positive discussion about the
primary purpose of mikveh. And out of that discussion,
some otherwise non-frum people would begin to use the
mikveh. This indeed has happened.
As recently as this year, various communal bodies and rabbis
try to pressure MOED to change its conversion policy. With
MOED nicely accepted by a number of otherwise non-frum
practitioners of taharas hamishpochoh, with the
mikveh having no deficit and no debt, with the
rabbinic committee of the mikveh firmly against any such
change -- these pressures go nowhere.
Using Orthodox Mikvehs for Non-Halachic Conversions
In 5747 (1987) Maran HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
shlita issued guidelines about the non-Orthodox use of
mikvehs in general. It should be noted that the vast
majority of the mikvo'os are built and maintained by
the Orthodox since only they use them on a year-round basis,
which is enough to support their existence.
HaRav Eliashiv said then (Yated Neeman 7 Shvat, 5747):
The Conservatives should not be allowed to use
mikvo'os under Orthodox control to perform conversion
ceremonies.
For its own reasons, as explained above, the Mikveh of East
Denver did not allow any conversions whatsoever.
The Vaad HaRabbonim LeGiyur commends the directors of the
Mikveh of East Denver for their mesiras nefesh in
building a mikveh and maintaining the highest
standards and ensuring that no michsholim come out of
it.
It should be noted that many of those who perform non-
halachic conversions cite the fact that the ceremony was
performed in an Orthodox mikveh as a specious proof of
the validity of the ritual. For example, the internal
document of the Denver Joint Conversion program prominently
cites the kashrus of the mikveh in which the
conversions were performed. Another example was in 1993 when
the Israeli Conservative movement sought the use of the
mikveh in Kibbutz Chanaton for conversions, they
wrote, "The very fact of the demand by the Conservative
kibbutz for a mikveh is proof of the movement's
serious relationship to halachah."
