Pittsburgh’s new mikvah joins a long tradition of mikvaot serving the local Jewish community.
The first precursor to the current mikvah was in the Hill District, which was heart of the Jewish community from the turn of the 20th century until World War II.
In 1943, the Jewish Women’s League was established by Mrs. Mollie (Frank) Butler, Mrs. Ruth (Joseph) Milch, and Mrs. Ethel (Phillip) Weiss. By that time, the Jewish population of the Hill District was declining, as the community was moving away from Downtown. The Jewish Women’s League recognized the necessity of keeping younger women interested in this essential mitzvah, and realized that a more attractive mikvah was needed, and that it should be located near the new center of the community.
During World War II, the mikvah was moved to Oakland, where four or five shuls were then located. The mikvah was located at 358 Oakland Avenue. In addition to the ritual pool, there was one large preparation room with a curtain around the bathtub and shower.
In the 1960s, the mikvah moved to Squirrel Hill, which by then had become the hub of the community. Money was raised for the purchase and renovation of a house in Squirrel Hill, at 2336 Shady Avenue, and the mikvah opened in 1962 with two ritual pools and several comfortable preparation rooms.
With Jewish federation money, in 1992, the Jewish Women’s League gutted, enlarged and completely renovated the mikvah, and made it accessible to those with disabilities. For a period of time during construction, women had to go to the Pittsburgh region’s only other mikvah, located in White Oak, which continues to operate. Shortly after the renovations were completed on the Squirrel Hill mikvah, an electrical fire created significant damage, and women again had to use the White Oak mikvah for close to a year while repairs in Squirrel Hill were completed.
Over the years Jewish education and observance have increased in the community, and growth in the overall size of the Orthodox community, as newcomers have settled in the city, have greatly increased demand for the mikvah.
Recognizing that the existing Squirrel Hill mikvah was aging and the building around it was in need of significant structural repairs, the decision was made in 2009 to build a new mikvah, and fundraising began late that year. The mikvah opened on September 25, 2016.