About Wellspring
“We carry pain long after the moment has passed. We need a space to put it down.”
"In 18 years as a congregational rabbi, I witnessed the quiet suffering of people navigating divorce, infertility, grief, and lost dreams. Jewish ritual has the power to help us mark these transitions, but we have no dedicated place to make space for it.
Wellspring will change that.
We will be the only UK mikveh welcoming those before or beyond child-rearing age or outside of Orthodox practice.
We will be the only Jewish organisation specialising in personalising ritual for emotional wellbeing.
We know there is great demand, but no dedicated space to meet it.
Wellspring fills this gap with dignity, accessibility, and the blending of ancient & modern wisdom.
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-Rabbi Miriam Berger, Founder
The Vision
The Rabbis of old were our earliest psychologists, they understood the need to create ritual in order to mark moments of transition in life. We still use many, whether enabling a hormonal teenager to feel celebrated or a grieving mourner to be supported. Yet we have stopped creating ritualised milestones despite increasing the number of transitional moments we have in our lifetime, moments of which the early Rabbis would not have conceived, such as news of terminal diagnoses, fertility journeys or retirement.
Immersion in water has religiously been used to delineate one state of being from another and the outdoor swimming trend has popularised its mental health and wellness benefits.
Wellspring will be the UK’s first purpose-built centre combining the ancient ritual of mikveh with modern mental health and wellness practices.
A sacred space for healing, transition, and resilience.
Rooted in Jewish wisdom & open to all.
Designed to serve life’s most significant, celebratory, and isolating moments.
The Ambition
To create a physical space where the well-being of all people is prioritised and the powerful ritual of mikveh can be used by individuals across the Jewish community to mark meaningful moments in their lives.
It will be a welcoming, inclusive and non-judgmental Jewish space for people of all genders, from all faiths and people of non-religious beliefs.
Wellspring aims to provide an innovative, purpose-built centre which addresses mental, physical and spiritual health in one space. It will incorporate programming spaces built around both a traditional indoor mikveh and an outdoor immersion pool.
It will offer a preventative and therapeutic approach to good mental health, promoting resilience building and incorporating Jewish rituals.
The Concept
A Holistic Healing Centre
Indoor Mikveh: Halachic, beautiful, inclusive.
Outdoor Immersion Pool:
Natural and therapeutic.
Consultation Rooms:
For one to one support and the creation of personalised ceremonies.
Kitchen:
Cafe space for informal support and programming.
Lounge:
For group support and to create small communities of people with similar struggles.
Beit Midrash / Library:
A space to ask the big questions in a non-judgemental environment such as “why me?” or “Does prayer work?”
Studio:
Space to reflect, move, and heal with a Jewish take on wellness sessions such as pilates, creative writing or art therapy.
Partnership Hub:
Supporting Jewish charities to incorporate Jewish ritual into their support.
