Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the mikvah at Congregation Beth Israel was available to all. After its destruction, the building of a replacement became a community priority as indicated by a study conducted by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. Efforts were lead by the Greater New Orleans Rabbinic Council in conjunction with community lay leader Bobby Garon. In 2016, the dream of building a community mikvah became real when the Oscar J. Tolmas Foundation agreed to be a naming rights funder. Seth Welty, architect with Collectivo, was hired and worked alongside a variety of consultants and Entablature Construction to design a building within our budget that brings to the New Orleans Jewish community a building which will be both practical and a source of pride.

The Louisiana Community Mikvah was established as a 501c3 organization in 2017 in order to build a mikvah that will serve Greater New Orleans and the Gulf South. This is a total Jewish community effort by all the synagogues of Greater New Orleans and Baton Rouge including all approaches to Judaism - Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox and Chasidic, which clergy and lay representatives serving on our board. Once built, the mikvah will be administered by a volunteer committee, under the direction of the Board of Trustees.

Providing an inviting, sacred space for those observing the mitzvah of monthly immersion and creating a welcoming space for converts to Judaism are only a few of the ways the community will enjoy the Mikvah. It will foster new and creative uses by inspiring local Rabbis to utilize immersion for healing rituals, spiritual wholeness, and life cycle events for all ages.