Sacred Rituals

The Evening Before Sara Henkin’s Wedding

Around 1940, the Jewish community of Šeduva had something to celebrate: a new ritual bathhouse, also known as a mikveh, was built at 22 Bernardinų Street. Though small, this modern mikveh, intended exclusively for women, could accommodate five visitors at a time. Men used a separate bathhouse on Kėdainių Street. Visiting a mikveh is mandatory for women after menstruation or childbirth. Men traditionally visit a ritual bath before holidays and the Sabbath. 

A site for a mikveh is chosen with great care: A source of flowing water is essential for its construction. In Jewish tradition, a mikveh represents much more than cleanliness—it is a place of spiritual renewal, marking significant life transitions such as marriage. It is likely that on the evening of April 8, 1940, the day before her wedding, Sara Henkin, daughter of the rabbi of Šeduva, visited the mikveh for this very purpose. We can imagine Sara that evening, accompanied by her mother Mina, immersing herself fully in the water, as countless women had done before her.

Although the address of the former mikveh building has since changed, traces of its original purpose can still be seen inside, bearing witness to the traditions once nurtured within its walls.

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