bozeman, mont. | In one of the least Jewish states in the country, a traditional Jewish group working to revive religious observance has built a mikvah, a ritual bath for spiritual purification.
The bath opened several months ago in an extension built on the Bozeman home of Chabad Rabbi Chaim Bruk and his wife, Chavie.
As a result of the Bruks’ work, Montana now has what Chabad says is the only contemporary mikvah in a vast area that includes Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota.
It’s “a milestone for Jewish life in Mon-tana,” Rabbi Bruk said. The American Jewish Year Book estimated that as of 2007, just 850 of the state’s nearly 945,000 residents were Jewish.
Jewish law requires married women to immerse in the mikvah for ritual purity after menstruation. Brides often immerse before their weddings, and the bath is used as part of converting to Judaism.
Outside of the Orthodox community, many American Jews had stopped using the mikvah. In recent years, however, the ritual bath has had a renaissance.
Bozeman has long had a congregation affiliated with the Reform movement, but the Bruks added a traditional presence when they moved there in early 2007. Today they teach Torah classes, offer a kosher meal service and share information about where to buy kosher food and wine at www.jewishmontana.com.
The Bozeman mikvah suite includes a jetted bathtub and a shower, both of which are used before entering the mikvah. High-quality soap, plush robes and thick towels are provided.
“You give women their own space where they can connect with God,” said Chaim Bruk, who grew up in Brooklyn and came to Boze-man in March 2007 with Chavie, who grew up in San Antonio, Texas. Fund-raising for the mikvah, which cost more than $250,000, began a year later.
Judaism allows the ritual to be practiced in “living” natural waters, such as a stream, but Bruk said the cold winters here make that impractical.
“You want it to be warm and welcoming,” he said. But “you can’t just build a tub and fill it up and heat it.”
Justine Phelps, an Orthodox Jew, used to drive or fly 400 miles from Montana to Utah for monthly immersion.
Before choosing Bozeman as their new home, Phelps, 38, and her husband scoped out the Jewish presence. “Of all the places we could have gone, we needed to be in a place with a Jewish community,” she said. “We asked the right questions and did all the research,” and in doing so learned a mikvah was planned.
“If there were no plans we would have had to make a plan, such as building one ourselves,” she added.