PDF of the Vaad’s letter

Kedusha, holiness, has always been the hallmark of the Jewish people. The Torah’s rules of modesty are one of the ways meant to help Jews maintain a high standard of holiness and morality. This means that as Jews we may not always be permitted to enjoy some of the recreational activities that society offers.

In order to uphold the proper level of holiness and modesty in our community, and to clarify past confusion and misunderstanding, we would like to reaffirm the following:

It is prohibited for men, women, boys, or girls, to go mixed-gender swimming, regardless of their swim apparel. (Please speak to your Rabbi regarding small children). This includes public pools and water slides.

Fortunately, our community is afforded opportunities for separate-gender recreational swimming, in communal pools such as Purvis Pool and the JCC, and in private pools as well. We encourage whoever is able and willing to facilitate additional opportunities for separate-gender swimming to do so.

In the merit of upholding the level of Kedusha mandated by the Torah, may we merit blessing and nachas from our families.

Rabbi Nissim Abrin
Rabbi Avraham Bensoussan
Rabbi Yehuda Blum
Rabbi Naphtali Burnstein
Rabbi Yehuda Cahan
Rabbi Sholom Ber Chaikin
Rabbi Alexander Charlop
Rabbi Raphael Davidovich
Rabbi Moshe Garfunkel
Rabbi Dovid Aaron Gross
Rabbi Boruch Hirschfeld
Rabbi Aharon Yoel Kushner
Rabbi Aharon Lebovics
Rabbi Yitzchok Margareten
Rabbi Mordechai Mendelson
Rabbi Ephraim Nisenbaum
Rabbi Shmuel Spitz