Mikvah

The Jewish Community House housed in the annex the mikvah (ritual bath). 

The mikvah is a ritual immersion bath, which is extremely important in Jewish communities. Almost every community was in possession of such an immersion bath. The mikvahs, conceivable as a kind of small "mini-bath", are subject to certain rules in construction and use. Thus, above all, the water that is later to be used for ritual cleansing must meet special requirements. It must be "living", flowing water, which means that only water of natural origin can be used for this purpose. For this reason, only spring water, groundwater or collected rainwater can be considered. Most of the mikvahs created in the Middle Ages are groundwater mikvahs.

The ritual immersion bath has its origins in the time of the prophets and the sense consists of it, humans and/or an object in the cultic sense to clean (to this can belong however e.g. also milchiges or Fleischiges Kochgeschier, should it have been "contaminated").

The regulations name various reasons for immersion. Since impurity is associated with death, should Jews have come into contact with a dead person, they must take an immersion bath. This also applies to the period after healing from certain diseases.

Traditional regulations prescribe attendance at the mikvah for both men and women. Thus, men are recommended to take the immersion bath before the Sabbath or the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Women are to visit the mikvah on the eve of marriage, after menstruation or the birth of a child.

In order to perform the ritual cleansing, it is necessary that nothing foreign to the body be present. Nothing must prevent the contact of the water with the body. Thus, wearing jewelry, lipstick, nail polish or the like is not allowed during the bath. Fingernails must be meticulously cleaned. The diving itself is called "Twila".