bozeman, mont. | Montana has its first mikveh.
The ritual bath opened last month and is serving Jewish residents from Wyoming, Idaho, North and South Dakota, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, in addition to the 2,000-strong Jewish population of Montana, according to Chabad.org.
The mikveh, in the backyard of the Chabad house in Bozeman, took two years to build. One ritual pool adjoins an elaborate bathroom with a custom vanity, Jacuzzi tub, chandeliers and Venetian mosaic tiles.
The closest mikveh to Bozeman is in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is 350 miles away. There is a Reform synagogue in Bozeman, but most of the state’s 2,000 or so Jews are not affiliated with any kind of religious observance. The population of the state reportedly can swell to as many as 10,000 Jews at times during ski season. — jta