Adat Ha-Nivonim Bodies of water special program

Today Adat Ha-Nivonim participated in a special program called “Bodies of Water.” The focus of this program was to help educate the Chanichim (campers) about mindful Jewish living. The goal was to convey the importance of mindfulness related to the mental and emotional connection to how we practice as Jews. We were lucky to have the program director and founder Naomi Malka lead the activities throughout the day with the Chanichim. Some of the questions that framed the conversations that we had surrounding these ideas were How do we find Judaism in nature?  How can we feel Jewish in our bodies?  Couldn’t all Jewish rituals be this fun?

A little about Naomi Malka, she is Tevila b’Teva Founder and the creator of “Bodies of Water,” an award-winning program that introduces kids ages 10+ to Mikvah as a tool for body positivity and healthy decision making from a Jewish perspective. Originally funded by Tikkun Olam Women’s Foundation, “Bodies of Water” frames Mikvah along with Jewish yoga and mindful eating as simple tools for Jewish living. Since 2006, Naomi Malka has been the Coordinator of the Adas Israel Community Mikvah in Washington, DC. She trained as a Mikvah Guide at Mayyim Hayyim in Newton, MA in 2008 and is a founding member of the Rising Tide New Mikvah Network. She earned a masters in Jewish Music from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in 2000 and a BA in Sociology from UCLA in 1991.