Building a Place of Welcome, Renewal, and Sacred Connection on the Central Coast

In Jewish tradition, water has long symbolized renewal, transition, healing, and hope. Across generations and geographies, communities have gathered around living water not only for ritual practice, but also for reflection, restoration, and belonging.

Here on California’s Central Coast, the JCC-Federation of San Luis Obispo is beginning an exciting new chapter as we explore the creation of a community mikveh in partnership with the Rising Tide Open Waters Mikveh Network. Our vision is rooted not only in Jewish ritual life, but in a broader aspiration: to help make this region a destination for Jewish hospitality, connection, spiritual nourishment, and renewal.

This vision feels especially meaningful in light of painful events that unfolded in nearby Cambria this past weekend. Moments that challenge the values of dignity, inclusion, and mutual respect remind us why sacred community-building matters. Our response is not to retreat from public Jewish life, but to deepen it — thoughtfully, warmly, and with integrity.
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We believe the Central Coast can be known not for division or exclusion, but for generosity of spirit. We aspire to cultivate a place where people from many backgrounds and experiences can encounter Jewish tradition as a source of compassion, healing, learning, and welcome. A mikveh can become part of that landscape: a container- sanctuary for reflection, transition, celebration, grief, growth, and reconnection.

As we take these first steps, we are deeply grateful to those helping bring this dream into being.

We are honored to acknowledge the sponsorship of our soon-to-be-acquired Mikveh Starter Toolkit by Hollie Clark and Rabbi Micah Hyman. Offered through Rising Tide, the toolkit provides communities with practical resources, guided activities, consultation, and planning support for developing inclusive mikveh initiatives.

We also wish to recognize additional early contributions to the mikveh fund from Valerie Breese, Adriana Sousa, and our very first anonymous donor. Each gift — whether public or private — represents a meaningful vote of confidence in the possibility of creating something special and enduring for our region.

This project is still in its earliest stages. In the months ahead, we will continue recruiting for our mikveh committee, learning from communities around the country, and engaging in educational opportunities through Rising Tide. We are especially excited about the upcoming Seven Steps Online Mikveh Guide Training cohort, an eight-week, virtual program designed to prepare compassionate and knowledgeable mikveh guides who can help create welcoming, respectful, and spiritually meaningful immersion experiences for diverse Jewish communities. Registration is open through June 1st.

Our hope is simple but ambitious: that the Central Coast becomes increasingly known as a place where Jewish life is vibrant, restorative, welcoming, and deeply connected to both tradition and the natural beauty that surrounds us.

We look forward to sharing the journey with you.

B’shalom uvrachah,

Nissa Rost-Rothman
Board Member/Property Steward