A soon-to-be completed mikveh in Colorado Springs will not only provide a crucial religious amenity for the Jewish community, it will also enable its users to go green in this aspect of their lives.
Colorado Springs Jews who partake in the mitzvah of mikveh ritual immersion must currently drive 120 miles roundtrip for the closest mikveh in Denver. For the women who go to the mikveh monthly, thats more than 1,400 miles of carbon monoxide emissions into the already fragile Front Range atmosphere, not to mention the expenditure for gas, now hovering around $4 per gallon.
All that is about to change when enough rain falls to enable Mikveh Mei Menachem to open its doors in Colorado Springs.
The mikveh is being built under the auspices of Chabad of Southern Colorado, headed by Rabbi Moshe and Zeldy Liberow.
The new mikveh promises special touches such as a sound system with relaxing background music wired into each room, radiant floor heat and a whirlpool. The walls will be adorned with marble tile, while the mosaic tile will enhance the mikveh pool.
The relaxing spa-style setting will truly enhance the mikveh experience, says Zeldy Liberow.
In addition to providing convenience to local Jews, the new mikveh will also serve tourists who visit the Pikes Peak region.
The pouring of the mikveh took place in May amidst a celebration attended by many Colorado rabbis, including Yisroel Popack, Yisroel Engel, Yehudah Cahan, Pesach Scheiner, Yaakov Abayav and Aharon Sirota.
The mikveh is under the rabbinic supervision of Rabbi Yirmiya Katz, who serves on the Central Committee of Chabad Lubavitch mikveh Board and is the author of three books on the laws of mikveh.
Of the approximately 300 mikvehs in the US, Rabbi Katz has been involved in more than 100 of them.
