Filling a Mikvah with: SNOW!

Dei'ah veDibur: In a unique operation carried out by the Merkaz Artzi Lemaan Taharas Hamishpochoh BeYisroel, a mikveh was made kosher in Yevul, a town in the Western Negev, using snow transported in sealed sacks inside a refrigerated truck. When several dozen families among the thousands of evicted Gush Katif residents decided to stay near the Gaza Strip, a community was set up for them in the Western Negev and today some 100 families have made it their home. One of their first concerns was the construction of a mehudar mikveh. The mikveh stood ready, but little rain has fallen recently, especially in the Negev. Then a proposal was made to truck in snow and melt it. Working together with Yevul residents Merkaz heads undertook the operation after morei horo'oh provided detailed instructions on how to transport the snow. A delegation of Merkaz executives and rabbonim approached residents of Neveh Ativ, a moshav in the Golan Heights, who were glad to take part in the challenge. The delegation members and moshav residents selected a large mound of glistening snow and then spent six hours filling sealed sacks with a total of 30 cubic meters of snow, enough to provide 5 cubic meters of water. Following the cross-country drive, Yevul residents were waiting with a crane to lift up the sacks and dump them on the rooftop, where the melted snow will drip into the bor otzar of the mikveh. Late at night when the task was finished the local residents celebrated the final completion of the mikveh, warmly thanking the rabbonim and the heads of the Merkaz Artzi Lemaan Taharas Hamishpochoh.....