July 5, 2026
Interpellation: Licensing of Public Mikvaot
Submitted by: Council Member Dr. Limor Zar Gutman, Esq., “For the Colony” Faction
A public mikveh in Israel is defined as a business requiring a license under the Business Licensing Order and must hold a business license intended to ensure proper health and sanitation standards. The local council is responsible for issuing business licenses and enforcing them.
Public mikvaot are usually owned by the religious council, and those in Zichron Ya’akov hold business licenses and are subject to supervision.
However, a mikveh operated by a nonprofit organization is also a public mikveh, as it is open to the public and used by the public.
The inquiry: Do public mikvaot in Zichron Ya’akov that are not owned by the religious council also hold business licenses as required by law?
Here are two that I am aware of; I am sure the Council has a list of all public mikvaot in the town. The inquiry applies to all of them:
- Divrei Shalom ve-Shlomo, on Hillel Yaffe Street.
- Rashbi on 7 Shavei Zion Street.
Response from the Council Chair
Response
- Divrei Shalom ve-Shlomo are moving forward toward obtaining a license.
They received a committee decision approving the application, hired safety consultants, and submitted a summary report to the council to complete all outstanding work by the end of the holidays.
All of this happened because I insisted that the land allocation not be transferred until after the safety report I commissioned two months ago was implemented.
I’m glad things have moved forward, and I’m happy about that. - We spoke with the director of the Rashbi Synagogue, and according to him, as soon as the Business Licensing Department contacted him, operations at the mikveh (which, in any case, were limited to synagogue worshippers) were suspended, and an architect was hired to obtain the necessary licensing.
Sincerely,
Eli Abutbul
Head of the Zichron Ya’akov Local Council