On Sunday evening, September 15, the Kew Gardens Hills community gathered at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills to dedicate the new Congregation Mikveh Israel, the Beverly Blisko Women’s Mikveh. The scene was alive with warmth and an ruach, as neighbors, rabbanim, and supporters came together to mark a true simchah for the community.
Serving as master of ceremonies, Mr. Nechemiah Hoch welcomed the crowd and emphasized that the mikvah was a real community project. Rabbanim urged their kehilos to get involved, families gave generously, and volunteers stepped in with mesiras nefesh. He reminded everyone that so much of today’s communal infrastructure was seeded decades ago by Rabbi Peretz Steinberg shlita, Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Queens Valley, who has long been a guiding force for Torah life in Queens.
Rabbi Herschel Welcher shlita, Rav of Congregation Ahavas Yisroel and President of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, led the crowd in heartfelt T’hilim, uniting the diverse kehilos around this vital mitzvah that safeguards the sanctity of klal Yisrael.
The event was dedicated in memory of Rachel Aliza bas Ora v’Rav Shlomo Nisanov a”h and as a tefilah for the refuah sheleimah of Aviva Bracha bas Ora, who miraculously survived a harrowing tragedy.
Rabbi Steinberg’s remarks were unforgettable. He recalled the incredible challenges faced in building the first KGH mikvah more than 60 years ago: architects who backed out, endless setbacks, and even strange happenings like the water turning green. “Because of the holiness of a mikvah, the satan always tries to block it,” he said. He underscored that a mikvah creates achdus in klal Yisrael: “Everyone uses the same mikvah. It unites husband and wife, young and old, Modern Orthodox and yeshivish, Chassidish and everything in between. The Shechinah rests where there is unity.” His words, woven with personal stories and good-natured humor, made it clear that spiritual gains come only with determination, but those efforts bring lasting brachah.
Hakaras ha’tov was expressed to architect Mr. Robert Bahari, contractor Rabbi Moshe Breuer, and Leah and Baruch Pinchasov for their dedication and devotion to bringing this dream to reality.
The keynote drashah was delivered by Rabbi Ephraim Eliyahu Shapiro, Rav of Congregation Shaaray Tefilah in North Miami Beach. He shared that the gematria of Vayakhel is 151, the very same as mikvah, teaching that just as Moshe Rabbeinu gathered all of klal Yisrael, the mikvah brings Yidden together in unity and purity. “Mikvah,” he said passionately, “brings unity with purity - and that is second to none.”
Linking this to the Yamim Nora’im, Rabbi Shapiro explained that just as immersion purifies, Hashem purifies us when we come with sincerity and teshuvah. Quoting from his father Rav Mordechai Shapiro zt”l, he reminded the tzibur that nora also means or, light. The High Holy Days are not just days of awe, but also days of extraordinary light and opportunity. He pushed everyone to take growth step by step, kach v’kach, encouraging realistic improvements without excuses.
He drove the point home with warm stories. He spoke of walking with his daughter Gila through a storm to give a Shabbos shiur, when she innocently asked if smaller steps meant more mitzvos - a child’s comment that perfectly captured the message of steady, incremental growth. He told of the butcher in Minsk who set aside a single coin, a kuppika, for each kilo of meat sold, eventually sending two boys to Slabodka - none other than Rav Aharon Kotler and Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky. “That is the koach of kach v’kach,” said Rabbi Shapiro. “Little by little, mitzvah by mitzvah, worlds are changed.”
He cautioned against getting stuck in regrets, what Chazal call aveiros sheb’yado. Instead, one must focus on the present: Hashem Melech. “If you start with the past, you get trapped. But if you live in the present, you can fix the past and build the future.” Turning to Parshas Nitzavim, he highlighted that nitzavim means to stand tall, with confidence and purpose. “This Rosh HaShanah, let us stand together with confidence, uplifted and ready to shine.”
The program concluded with Mr. Hoch reading a stirring letter from Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l. Rav Chaim urged the building of proper mikva’os in every community and promised abundant brachos for all who support these projects.
Afterwards, the crowd was treated to a beautifully arranged buffet in the lower ballroom, an elegant touch that gave the evening the feeling of a true simchah.
Today, the Beverly Blisko Women’s Mikvah stands proudly as a state-of-the-art facility with eleven modern prep rooms, two beautiful mikva’os, a kallah suite, full ADA accessibility, and an elevator. It operates under the halachic guidance of Rabbis Shmuel Marcus, Naftali Rubin, and Herschel Welcher. Alongside the men’s mikvah and the keilim mikvah, it forms a full communal infrastructure for Torah life in Queens. With innovations such as the Mikveh RSVP system, which simplifies reservations while maintaining full confidentiality, the mikvah shows how timeless halachah can harmonize with modern tools.
From the earliest struggles to today’s beautiful reality, the story of this mikvah reflects the strength of communal effort and the holiness of this mitzvah. May the new mikvah be a source of brachah for all families, may the neshamah of Rachel Aliza bas Ora v’Rav Shlomo Nisanov a”h have an aliyah in this great z’chus, and may Aviva Bracha bas Ora have a full refuah sheleimah. With unity, purity, and hope, may we soon celebrate in Yerushalayim with the coming of Mashiach bimheirah b’yameinu.
The Beverly Blisko Women’s Mikveh is located at 71-11 Vleigh Place, and is now available by online appointment at kghmikveh.com or by phone at 718-268-6500, alongside the Reuven Rosenkranz Men’s Mikveh, which remains open daily from 4:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with extended hours on Erev Yomim Nora’im. Full membership details are available online.
By Susie Garber
and Shabsie Saphirstein
