Shabbat Shalom Friends and family, We are members of the IAC and we have recently returned, safe and exhilarated, from one of the most fantastic experiences of our lives and we would like to take a moment to share it with you. The story begins a few years ago, when the IAC was looking for a worthy cause to support in Israel. As you know our mandate is to educate, advocate and raise funds, and when we learned about Alyn Hospital, we knew we had found the right fit. Alyn is the sole paediatric and adolescent rehabilitation hospital in Israel. Situated in the beautiful hills of Jerusalem, they treat all children regardless of religion, and have become experts in respirator dependant children, those afflicted with congenital defects and, unfortunately, victims of terror. In 2003, Beit Rayim launched a series of events to raise awareness and funds for Alyn. We were very successful and now have a plaque hanging in the hospital, thanking Beit Rayim for our support. Our IAC members became so committed to the cause that four of our members decided to partake in the 5th Annual International Alyn Charity Bike Ride. Begun in 2000 with only 9 Israeli riders and raising about 65,000 dollars, the ride quickly became the main fundraising tool for the hospital. In 2004, Menny Deutsh, Alan Nussbaum, Joel Kula and Alan Lechem proudly joined the ride. They helped raise approximately 1.5 milllion dollars, and continued to spread the word around Toronto. In 2005, Alan Lechem returned with Steve Fishman, and the ride continued to grow in both numbers and funds raised. This year, because we belong to an Egalitarian synagogue, we decided that the women had to ride, too. We are very proud to inform you that we were among 49 riders from Toronto, who joined a total of 425 riders from 10 countries. There were 3 possible routes to could choose from, the on road challenge, which was about 140km per day, the regular on road, which was about 100 km per day and the off road, which was also about 100km/day but on much more difficult terrain. We decided, with much trepidation, to ride the off road route. This experience proved to be most
rewarding. We rode about 100 km/day for 5 days, beginning at Hebrew U and ending in Eilat. The desert scenery was magnificent, the terrain rugged, varying from deep sand to soft gravel to large boulders, and on two days, we battled 50mph headwinds. We had the opportunity to meet incredible, like-minded people from all over the world, making the experience truly unique. To date, the ride has raised over 2 million dollars and it is anticipated that the final count will be approximately 2.5 million U.S. dollars.
Although there were many moving and meaningful moments through out the ride, I want to describe just a few. On the second last night, we stayed in a Bedouin tent on the top of a plateau. Located in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the desert, we were far from the 21st century. On the last morning, we woke early to see the sun rise over the Jordanian mountains, casting a pink glow throughout the sky. We also saw, at the edge of the plateau, overlooking the vast desert, a group of about 50 riders with tallit coving their heads, performing the morning prayers. It was truly a biblical sight, connecting us with our ancestors in a very poignant tableau. And there is also a connection with today’s parsha. For it was in that very desert that Isaac first discovered his spirituality and relationship to God. It is no accident that the first time Isaac perceives the God who addresses him as the God of his father occurs at these wells (26:24). Whisking us right back into the 21st C was the roar of the IDF fighter planes as they flew over us. They were ours. And because of them, we were safely riding our bikes in Israel. On the 5th and last day, we met up with all the other riders about 30km outside Eilat. En masse, with police escorts, we flew down the mountains of the Negev, where we were met by the media, and Israeli’s waving from the streets and their balconies. I don’t think either of us wil ever forget that moment. And the message that we received from the Israeli’s again and again, was that they were amazed that we came. They couldn’t believe that so many Jews, from so far
away, could stop their lives, come to Israel, and ride their bikes for an Israeli cause. On behalf of ourselves and the IAC committee, we want to say thank you to all of you who have supported us both emotionally and financially. With your assistance, we feel that we have truly helped the children of Alyn Hospital in their daily battle, and have had the adventure of a lifetime. We know firsthand, how much the Israeli’s need our ongoing assistance- with the war this summer and the spector of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran on the horizon, her need is as great as ever. We sincerely hope that you will continue to support the IAC in all our efforts and would be delighted for any of you to join us. Shabbat Shalom
Henza Miller