Chabad emissaries in Seoul, South Korea, are completing the first mikveh ever built in the country.
Jewish women seeking ritual bath services have thus far had to travel to China or Japan to use a mikveh.
The mikveh is constructed in the shape of a water drop that symbolized the purity of the rainwater source of the mikveh. The walls are floor are made of wood, in a modern design that hints at Korean tradition. The mikveh ceiling, shaped like a drop of water, was built using a 3D printer.
Rabbi Asher Litzman of Chabad in South Korea, said, "We arrived 11 years ago and it's been our foremost goal to build a mikveh that will serve the Jews living here."
"A lot of women wanted to move here after receiving offers from companies like Samsung and when they heard there was no mikveh, they passed – because the only other option was to fly to Japan or China," Litzman said.
An estimated 500 to 1,000 Jews live in South Korea, most of whom are in the country for work purposes. The community has a rapid turnover and centers mainly around the local Chabad House.
"We serve every Jew who needs us. There's a synagogue and every Friday and Saturday there are prayers and a Shabbat meal, songs and stories, an atmosphere like that in a lot of communities all over the world. We have a kosher food store with [kosher] wine and meat," Litzman said.
Work on the project began a year ago and the building is slated to be finished in a few weeks.
