Home Shalom 2024
Donation protected
Home Shalom is a Jewish-led kosher kitchen at the Rainbow Gathering.
Every year at the Gathering that takes place around July 4, we start by building a primitive basecamp. It is truly a teamsport: The members of the camp set a time to meet and every individual uses their own unique skills to build our temporary home (including the kitchen, of course) in the forest. While some people have their own equipment, we also need general equipment that many people don't have. In our pursuit of building Home Shalom, we must persevere through the challenge of working with (and against) nature, including the environment and weather, in order to build the kitchen.
While the Rainbow Gathering is technically a free event, it can be a little deceiving to think that there's no money involved. Of course, we do not charge money nor do we ask for "recommended donations," but it takes a good deal of financial capital to collect the equipment and food for our kitchen to get built and run smoothly.
Once we buy all the necessary materials, we hike them into the woods and build the kitchen with our very hands, while living off whatever sustenance we have. The Gathering is always in a very remote place, and it would take hours of hiking and driving to restock equipment or food.
The Rainbow Gathering as a whole has what they call the Magic Hat, which pools money together and centrally purchases food—however, the food donations often come from food banks that realize they cannot distribute it, or other times it comes from whatever a farmer's market has left over at the end of the day. However, the food that is bought in these situations is meant only for one communal meal that gets served at the end of the day to the whole Gathering; but it is very common for this to run out. Point being, the one free communal dinner at the end of the day leaves many bellies hungry. That's why it's even more important for the individual kitchens like Home Shalom to be stocked with our own food.
With all that said, we are now collecting donations to help shoulder the financial burdens of Home Shalom and make the kitchen possible. There is no event that is like the Rainbow Gathering, but the expenses incurred in building our shelter and kitchen in the woods might resemble those put toward a music festival or Burning Man ($2500-$5000).
We build Home Shalom out of love and generosity, and we do it on a dime. Everyone volunteers their time and money, according to their means.
If you are coming, be aware that we do this regardless of what comes our way. But anything helps, whether it's money put toward food, equipment, or gas. We are in this together as Rainbow Family, through thick and thin, moments of bliss and ecstasy, song and dance, as well as moments of extreme challenge, like snowstorms, viral outbreaks, heat waves, droughts, forest fires, bad insects, and everything in between. It is often a feat of acceptance in that the situation is in control and wins.
With loving abundance, we want your everything—which it will truly take—but we will accept your anything.
We love you.
For 2023 we will be using this page to decimate information and answer questions. Check for updates.
For more about us read the following articles
Organizer
Steve Leaderman
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA