We did it!! This past May, my partner made a suggestion, “Let’s try to put more miles on our bikes than we do our cars between Memorial Day and Labor Day this year.” To some, this may seem like an impossible task, but when we bought our home a few years ago, we chose a place with a bike path in the back yard. I am an environmental educator, and our family values reflect a constant consideration of how our actions affect the other species around us. Back to the challenge… As I considered the reality of this situation, I made a pros and cons list to see if this could actually work. First, we both work from home, so our daily commute consists of walking upstairs to our office. If I have meetings, they are generally within a 5-6 mile radius from my home. Both pros for making this a reality. I love my bike, my partner got it for me as a birthday/Chanukkah present a few years ago. It also helps that my partner rides 3x a week with a local cycling club, and they average about 40 miles per outing. This was also a great year to […]
Topic: Rides
Arrival and Celebration in Washington, D.C.
Be there to meet our riders or join us for a celebratory BBQ dinner!
Dayenu
There is a particular majesty in cresting a hill and taking in the landscape: the great expanse of the Negev Desert or the sparkle of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), the Jordan River or the heights of the Golan. There is a sense of awe when your legs work in concert with all the other parts to keep you balanced physically and mentally with the proper levels of salt and water to propel you up and brace you on the way down. There is a mind-clearing meditation that riding 60 miles a day brings to your brain. And there is a sense of great gratitude that comes with setting a lofty goal and working four months to achieve it.
An Israel Ride Journal
In this journal, please share the journey of Rabbi Amy Katz and her son, Gabriel, on the 2012 Israel Ride.
Now, About Those Hills. (Hills, and more tips from an experienced Israel Rider.)
We will be doing a lot of hill climbing (sorry, it is just the nature of the geography here). Sometimes it seems like you climb all the way to Eilat, but that is not the case. There are some absolutely spectacular downhill runs that make up for all the intermediate climbs. Riding into the Maktesh on Sunday is a real treat (an 1100 foot decent) and another 1100 decent at the end of the day into Ketura…. Definitely highlights that you will remember for a very long time.
Why I Ride Crew
By Maddy Hoffman Yossi (pictured) and I got married last summer, so training for the Ride didn’t make it to our pre-wedding to-do list. But we each had family and friends participating as riders, so we didn’t want to miss out on the experience. At the last minute we signed up as crew, not really sure what it would be like. We knew and appreciated the crew members who staffed our rest stops when we rode together the year before. They made us sandwiches, pointed us to the bathroom, and told us which snacks were the good ones. They cheered for us and encouraged us and reminded us that we were riding for an important cause with their full support. But what no one really tells you is that the crew members are actually having a lot of fun doing all of those things and even more that riders don’t get to see. There are cowbells to ring and whistles to blow, big vans to drive and spray paint to mark the turns, and there are maps, walkie-talkies, reflective vests, and team colors for each crew team. The Hazon staff made sure we had all the information and support we […]
Hazon Cross-USA Ride BBQ Dinner in Columbus: August 6th
Come join the Hazon Cross-USA riders for a free BBQ dinner at Agudas Achim! The Hazon Cross-USA riders will cycle from Springfield, OH to Columbus on August 6th. After settling in and showering (a must!), the riders will enjoy a wonderful BBQ dinner at 6:30 pm, sponsored by our ethically-produced kosher meat sponsor, Grow and Behold. And we hope you’ll join them! Please RSVP so we know how much food to make! You can also join us on the road! Ride with Hazon into Columbus, from Columbus to Coshocton, or any other part of the Ride until it ends in D.C. on August 15th. We encourage anyone riding for one day to donate $50 to Hazon to help support the educational work Hazon does in order to create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community. A very special thank you to Agudas Achim for hosting our riders and helping to sponsor dinner. Our riders very much appreciate warm hospitality as they live a nomadic lifestyle for the summer.
Week 6: St. Paul – Milwaukee, WI
The Hazon Cross-USA Ride travels from Twin Cities to Madison this week. See where it’s stopping!
Week 5: Aberdeen – St. Paul, MN
The Hazon Cross-USA Ride travels from Aberdeen to Twin Cities this week. See where it’s stopping!
The Israel Ride – Linking Our Biblical Roots with Ben Gurion’s Vision
The scar under my right knee helps me not forget Sde Boker. On my right arm, the scar that helps me not forget Jerusalem has become very faint. Remembering both is Redemption.
I think I’ll leave my bike in Israel……
My first Israel Ride was in the fall of 2008. I had read about the ride, but was never brave enough to sign up for it. And then one evening I met someone who was riding, and impulsively decided to join him. I was scared out of my mind, certain I would never be able to complete the ride, but too proud to back out.
The Israel Ride – A Transformative Experience
My advice for newbies? Train a lot, but don’t worry about whether you have done enough. You’ll be fine.
New Old Friends on the Israel Ride
By Rabbi Art Gould In my family everyone’s favorite relative was Uncle Sid Goldman (alav ha’shalom), aka Goldie, aka Solid Gold. We would say – because it was true – that you could put Goldie down anywhere in the world and in ten minutes he would have not new friends but old friends. That’s how I feel about the Israel Ride. I first rode in 2008 and by the time we got to Ashkelon I had a number of newly minted old friends. Like Edna Granot from Australia, with whom I always ride the downhill out of Mitzpe Ramon on Sunday morning because we like to take it easy going down that spectacular piece of the route. Or my old friend Paula Reckess who sent us encouraging emails and a promise to procure a bottle of champaign when we were struggling to escape Hurricane Sandy and make it on time for the 2012 ride. We made it and I’ve never tasted a more rewarding glass of champaigne. Especially important to me is my old friend Mousa Diabat, alum of the Arava Institute. Mousa was driving the bike truck out of Mitzpe Ramon the same Sunday morning in 2008. Another of […]
Tips from a veteran Israel Rider
I would like to continue with some of the things I started with and add to the training/preparation ideas I started with. Since the ride is FULLY supported.
The 2013 Israel Ride – A First Timer’s Perspective
Besides this being our first Israel Ride, it will be the first time we have rode in an organized event together – not to mention the fact that we will be traveling to Israel to do so. It will be Beth’s first trip to Israel and it will be my first trip since 1976.
