"I left Melacha U’Vracha (MU) feeling deeply nourished, with a fresh sense of excitement and possibility for what Judaism can look like."

At MU, we create pop-up forest villages centered on the 39 Melachot: sacred ancestral crafts and practices for creating holiness on Earth.

Around our shared fire are hundreds of Jews with a variety of religious and political beliefs – all with a desire to build a more diverse, resilient, and empowered Jewish future. Many have called it “a taste of the world to come” and “the kind of Jewish future that is needed right now”. Support us as we grow this movement!

We need your help transforming Melacha U’Vracha from a passion project to a well-resourced, sustainable organization.

We’ve built so much together since this project first began in 2023. We’ve uplifted 40+ instructors, coming from all over to share their skills. We more than tripled the size of the gathering from 70 to over 240 Jews. We found a fiscal sponsor to formalize our work and make it all possible.

As a nonprofit, we are excited to fundraise, apply for grants, and work towards a sustainable future, financially and energetically. With your donation, our team will be able to confidently organize the third iteration of Melacha U’Vracha this August. While we've relied heavily on ticket sales in the past, with more money in the bank, we will be able to fully focus on the mission and vision of this project.

If we reach our goal of raising 39k for the 39 Melachot, we will:

Make this gathering even more intergenerational (more elders, more teens, more in-betweens!) through intentional outreach and accommodations planning (more non-camping options for elders)
Create a robust scholarship fund to keep this gathering financially accessible
Build out workshops that offer even deeper learning pathways
Provide all meals to ensure our community is well-nourished
Create larger shade structures that will better protect our village from the elements
Invest in more gear (durable tarps, kitchen equipment, tools for workshops, etc.) that will serve our community for years to come

Here’s what we can do with your donation:

$36: Stock up on hardware to build more compostable toilets
$108: Buy one large, durable tarp to shelter one of our workshop zones
$360: Fully stock our medical supplies
$720: Purchase sheep from local shepherds for Shechita (to nourish the village in more ways than one!)
$1,800: Store our gear for one full year in our storage unit
$5,040: Boost our scholarship fund by supporting ten low-income folks with free tickets

One participant shared, “This gathering made Jewish ritual come alive for me. From making flour for challah, blending bisamim spices, and braiding havdallah candles, to making shofarot and learning hands-on what makes meat kosher - the breath and depth of the skills offered at the gathering was incredible. I felt nourished by and grateful for this opportunity to embody Jewish ritual and values in a diverse and inclusive Jewish community.”

If you aren’t able to donate right now, please consider sending this campaign to a friend or family member so more folks can have this feeling.

Who are we?
MU’s organizing team is a collective of women and non-binary Jews who are crafters, community builders, and earth lovers. Our organizers are leaders in the JOFEE world and have led programming at places like Dayenu, Urban Adamah, Wilderness Torah, Eden Village, Pearlstone, TEVA, Linke Fligl, the Baltimore Tool Library, the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, and the Roots Rendezvous.

We are deeply grateful for any and all support. The more people invested in this project’s existence, the more resilient we become.

Thank you so much for being a part of this 🤎

Melacha U'Vracha: Building Jewish Ancestral Skills

By Community Resilience Organizations

Melacha U'Vracha: Building Jewish Ancestral Skills

Raising 39k for the 39 Melachot

Team Members