PEN America

Hi, I’m Lara Brysk, and I'm a 12 year old studying for a bat mitzvah in April of 2026. For my mitzvah (good deed) project, I decided to combine my love for literature and my passion for activism, and I found an organization that does just that. PEN America ‘stands at the intersection of literature and human rights’, fighting against disinformation and book bans. I joined PEN in advocating for free expression and writer’s rights by raising money and donating directly to their organization, and I would love it if you could support my journey. Any amount of donation is happily accepted, and all proceeds go directly to PEN America to support writers worldwide. For more information about our cause, feel free to go to the PEN America website . If you do end up donating directly there, it would be greatly appreciated if you did so under the name 'Lara Bat Mitzvah 2026' or something like it, and sent me a picture of the receipt through this GoFundMe. Additionally, spreading the word about this page would help greatly, even if you yourself aren't able to donate at this time. Thank you so much for your attention, and remember, "the PEN is mightier than the sword".

What is a Mitzvah Project?

As part of becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I need to initiate and complete a service project.

Mollye's Bat Mitzvah Project!

I'm raising funds for PEN America, a non-profit that works for free speech and against book banning.

Do you think book banning is wrong and that free speech is right?

I do too. I think everyone should be able to read whatever they want, and not to be silenced when they are sharing their message.

I have a way that we can help solve that problem, together.

For my Mitzvah project I will be collecting middle grade and middle school books that are in good condition from my classmates, both at my public school and at my synagogue. I've already collected close to 100 books that I will sell in the Fall at a local street fair called the Berkshire Busk.

I plan to donate all of the proceeds to PEN America and to donate leftover books to URJ Eisner Camp in Great Barrington.

If you are not able to attend my book sale, but want to support PEN America, please contribute to this GoFundMe account.

Together we can have an impact on people's freedom to read what they want!