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Fundraiser in Israel becomes a ride -of a lifetime.

KAREN SCHWARTZ
Special to the Jewish News

Ann Arbor

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6/11
2004

52

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hile most visitors to Israel
travel around the country
on four wheels, Ann Arbor
resident Rachel Urist toured Israel
for five days on just two.
Part of the April 27-May 3 Arava
Institute Hazon Bike Ride in Israel,
she remembers pedaling for hours
through breathtaking landscapes as
part of a group of 96 riders ranging
in age from 17 to 71. Among the
riders were Urist's nephew, Yoni, and
her sister, Aliza.
"It's just transporting, it's another
world, and to see it from a bike, and
to be outdoors, not in a car, not on
a bus, but just to keep riding
through, it gives you a very different
perspective on space, on time, on
land and your place in it," Urist
said.
The purpose of the more than
300-mile journey from Jerusalem to
Eilat was multifold for Urist, who
decided in January to get involved.
The ride raises money to help fund
the work of the Arava Institute for
Environmental Studies, an academic
institution located at Kibbutz
Ketura, 30 miles north of Eilat.
Urist, a playwright, wrote the dia-
logue and structured the Mosaic
Youth Theatre of Detroit's Children
of Abraham project, which brings
together Jewish, Muslim and
Christian students from the city and
suburbs.
The project was one of the factors
that tipped the scale for Urist, who
found out about the ride from her
sister, a participant last year.
Knowing there was an institute that
brought together students from a
variety of cultures in the Middle
East to work together to address
issues that affected their shared envi-
ronment appealed to her, as did the
idea of helping contribute to envi-
ronmental protection.
"When we participate in Zionist
activities or support Israel, most of
us tend to think about protecting
the state, social services, building the
land — we rarely think about pro-

a number of environment-
friendly institutions.
Urist, who has until June 30
to raise another $1,300, enjoyed
the opportunity to ride with a
group, which she had never
done before, and found herself
"smiling all the time" on an
adventure she isn't likely soon
to forget.
A salient feature of Urist's
time in Israel was a sense of
serenity, she said. "That was
such an unexpected and won-
derful thing to experience.
Before going, everybody was
nervous for me, people were
worried about terror, but that's
what I felt, serenity," she said.
"It was a sense of peace; I trust-
ed in the security that would be
there."
The group came together
spontaneously for Shabbat serv-
ices, singing and dancing to
welcome the Sabbath. "It was
the most glorious, spiritual
Shabbat I've ever spent in my life,"
she said.
Howie Rodenstein, chairperson
and founder of Arava Institute
Hazon Bike Ride in Israel, is proud
the program has grown in two years
from 38 to more than 90 riders.
"When we started, we did some
calculations and said we could pull
this off," Rodenstein said. "If we
found a way to get 15 people, we'd
break even in the first year. Our
long-term vision was hundreds of
people riding their bikes through the
desert raising money for Arava and
building solidarity with Israel."
Rodenstein said.
The result, he said, is a trip partic-
ipants call life-changing and one of
the best experiences of their lives. It
is also a significant fund-raiser.
"And it has turned out to be much
more than just a bike ride," he said.
"What's special about it is people con-
necting or reconnecting with Israel, each
in their own way."

AO*

Rachel Urist of Ann Arbor is ready to roll.

tecting the environment," she said.
"I think most of us pretty much
assume that the environment is pro-
tected there, because we don't tend
to hear in the news much about
environmental problems in Israel; it's
not something that gets talked
about."
Nigel Savage, founder of New
York-based Hazon, an organization
that uses outdoor and environmental
education to renew the Jewish com-
munity and raise environmental
awareness, said through fundraising
and advocacy, American Jews can
help lighten the load for Israelis
who, he said, "have an awful lot on
their plate," including environmen-
tal challenges.
"Four times as many Israelis died
last year from environmental factors
as from terrorism; and we may feel
we can't do anything about the ter-
rorism, but we can do something
about the environmental issues; and
I think the American Jewish com-
munity has the unique opportunity,
and maybe responsibility, to really
make a difference," he said.
Some of the minimum $3,600
fundraised by each ride participant
also goes to Hazon, which supports

❑

For information about Jewish envi-
ronmental bike rides in Israel and
New York, go to www.hazon.org