First Mikveh to Open at Dead Sea Hotels in Ein Bokek
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
The Ministry of Religious Services is building Israel's first mikveh at the Ein Bokek hotel complex on the Dead Sea, investing approximately NIS 2 million. The project, in cooperation with the Tamar Regional Council, aims to serve religious and traditional visitors who wish to observe family purity laws during their vacation. The mikveh will meet various halachic requirements and is expected to open in the coming months, joining a national trend of expanding religious services in tourist areas.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- The Ministry of Religious Services is establishing the first mikveh in the Ein Bokek hotel complex at the Dead Sea.
- The project involves an investment of approximately NIS 2 million and cooperation with the Tamar Regional Council.
- The mikveh will serve religious and traditional visitors observing family purity laws.
- It is designed to meet diverse halachic requirements, including the "pit over pit" method.
- The new facility is expected to open to the public within the next few months.
The Ministry of Religious Services is initiating and leading the establishment of the first mikveh (ritual bath) within the hotel complex in Ein Bokek, on the Dead Sea, with an investment of approximately NIS 2 million. The ministry will fund the construction and operate the mikveh in cooperation with the Tamar Regional Council.
The project aims to serve the public that wishes to maintain a religious lifestyle and observe family purity laws while vacationing in the area. Until now, no mikveh has operated in the Ein Bokek hotel area, and its construction is expected to meet a significant need for religious and traditional families and couples visiting one of Israel's main tourist destinations.
"We are bringing religious services to the public, even in Israel's central tourist and vacation spots," stated Yehuda Avidan, Director General of the Ministry of Religious Services. This initiative reflects the ministry's policy to expand access to quality religious services and make them available in places where the public requires them, not just in their permanent residential areas.
The new mikveh is designed to meet a wide range of halachic (Jewish law) requirements and stringencies, accommodating various customs and halachic opinions. It will include solutions for the "בור על גבי בור" (pit over pit) method, observed by Chabad Hasidim. Alongside halachic adherence, emphasis is placed on meticulous architectural planning, aesthetics, user comfort, and service quality, aiming to combine halachic observance with a respectful and pleasant user environment.
The Ein Bokek project joins a trend of expanding religious services in tourist and vacation areas across the country. New mikvaot have recently been inaugurated in several localities, including a luxurious one in Kiryat Ye'arim. While past operations of mikvaot by various entities have raised questions, the Ministry of Religious Services is leading this project from inception to completion, in collaboration with the Tamar Regional Council.
The new mikveh is expected to open to the public in the coming months, providing a comprehensive solution for the religious and traditional public vacationing in the Dead Sea region.