January 10 • 2019 23
jn

Taken for a Ride
T

hat’s not going to happen,
” was 
my initial response a year ago 
when my friend Sam Rozenberg 
suggested I participate in the Friends of 
the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Bike 
Ride Israel. He had attended the 2017 
ride and somehow thought I would be 
a suitable recruit for 2018. 
Well, old Sam kept on me, selling me 
on the scenery, the accommodations, 
the camaraderie, the challenge; and 
he knew my real weakness — being in 
Israel. Next thing I knew, I was training 
in the gym, shopping for road bikes 
and promising I’
d be there. Agreeing 
to participate would turn out to be the 
best decision. I quickly went from “not 
willing to consider it” to “can’
t wait 
until October.
”
Having been to Israel several times 
on various tours and missions, I’
m 
always seeking to visit in a different 
way. The FIDF Ride Israel checked 
several of those boxes for me. Aside 
from meeting some lovely like-minded 
men and women and doing some of 
the most physically demanding activity 
I’
ve ever done in amazing scenery and 
weather, there were several highlights.
Along with 30-some riders from the 
U.S., several Israelis joined us. Israeli 
competitive athletes rode with us, 
including Roy Goldstein, the two-time 
Israeli National Road Race champi-
on, as well as other members of the 
Israel Cycling Academy and Ironman 
(woman) competitors. They didn’
t 
blow past us and wait at the finish line 
but rather rode alongside, chatting and 
encouraging us. They were as nice as 
could be. 
Some other riders were IDF veterans 
who lost limbs in combat and have 
been beneficiaries of the great work of 
the FIDF. On a long uphill climb one 
day, I was passed by Itzik, who was 
cranking away with one leg and a pros-
thesis replacing the other leg, which 

he’
d lost to a land mine in war. 
Another day, I rode hard to try to 
catch up with a vet who didn’
t have 
enough leg left to attach a prosthesis — 
his bike only had one pedal. Another 
amputee on the ride was an Ironman 
competitor. These guys risked their 
lives defending our Holy Land, were 
gravely injured and had the ruach to 
test physical limits challenging even for 
full-bodied riders, many a decade (or 
more) their junior. Words can’
t describe 
the inspiration these people gave me. 
We visited an FIDF training base 
in central Israel as well as the north-
ernmost line of defense at the top of 
Mount Hermon, only feet from the 
Syrian border. We met and conversed 
with the young soldiers and officers 
who protect our homeland. We visit-
ed Druze villages, ate their food and 
learned about their culture as well as 
how they serve side by side with Jews 
and Arabs in the IDF. 
Perhaps the most meaningful part 
of the trip for me was meeting young 
IDF vets who have been recipients of 
FIDF IMPACT! scholarships, hearing 
how the assistance has changed their 
lives and how they are working to help 
others as a result. I cannot find words 
to adequately describe the sweet emo-
tions that were stirred up within me 
while hearing the stories of these young 
heroes.
I stated earlier that I’
m always seek-
ing ways to see Israel from a different 
perspective; I have never done the 
same trip twice but if there’
s another 
opportunity to do an FIDF bike ride, I 
already have my answer to the question 
whether I would miss it: “That’s not 
going to happen.
” ■

Sandy Rosen lives in Bloomfield Hills with his wife, 
Lucinda. They have three adult children, are 
avid outdoorspeople and are members at Adat 
Shalom Synagogue. 

 essay

SANDY ROSEN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Sandy Rosen and
Sam Rozenberg

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