Temple Shaaray Tefila's Blog

Heading up the Eilat Mountains

Jeff Kohn, Dave Leventhal, and Paul Cantor along the Israel-Egypt border

….14 riders well beyond their imaginations and expectations! We began this morning to the sun rising over the beautiful desert landscape, among the fields of an ancient vineyard, enjoying a delicious outdoor breakfast.

After breakfast, we drove to the graveside of David Ben Gurion, overlooking the beautiful Zin Valley. Our final day of riding began in the heights of Mitze Ramon, where we descended and rode into the massive crater. We rode our hearts through impressive hills, and made our way out of the crater, over to the outlook post alongside the Egyptian Border. At this point, we could see the Red Sea (our 4th sea), Jordan, Saudia Arabia, and Egypt, as we descended the hills into Eilat.

Today, we ended out rigorous biking adventure with great elation, satisfaction, and accomplishment. We celebrated this evening with a carnivore’s delight, at an Argentinian steakhouse, and look forward to our last day visiting the ancient sites of Petra, Jordan.  

Thank you all for your support and well-wishes along the way. We couldn’t have done it without your support and enthusiasm!

Remember, we do this all for the children of Tel Aviv, and if you are so inspired to support our riding cause, please donate by pressing the donate button (above right), and for more info on this amazing tzedakah project, click here.

To see a detailed map and real-time statistics from today, click below:

morning: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/54345779

afternoon: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/54345775

For some great pics from the last days, click here.

TST Riders at the playground donated in Sderot

On Friday, our group had an early morning start to our day, hiking up the snake path at Masada – 42 minutes was our recorded hike time (at 95 degrees)! It was truly a great morning workout. After our historical tour of the site, we held beautiful morning services in the Beit Knesset (the ancient synagogue built at 67c.e. atop Masada). Taking the cable car down, we ate breakfast and got on our bikes, where he headed up to Ein Gedi, alongside the Dead Sea.

There, we hiked a bit and refreshed ourselves in the beautiful fresh water spring-fed pools that flowed throughout the preserve. The waterfalls were cool, refreshing, and exilerating – so much so that the Rabbi even gave his blackberry a soaking washdown (bye-bye Blackberry)!

We then boarded the bus and headed toward Jerusalem in time for Shabbat. En route to Jerusalem, we learned that there was good news and bad news: the bad news – the hotel was completely overbooked and could not accomondate us. The good news: the hotel we were bumped to was also full, so we had to settle on brand new luxury suites, at the newest 5 star Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem – bummer (NOT)! Thanks Nir for making this all happen!

Our Shabbat experience began with a beautiful walk through sections the Germany Colony, where we enjoyed wonderfully spirited services at Kol Haneshama (a progressive, reform synagogue), followed by a delicious and convivial Shabbat dinner at Mercaz Shimshon (the reform movement’s center in Jerusalem).

On Shabbat morning, we met our guide, Nir, for a fascinating walking tour of the Old City, conveniently located right outside the doors of our hotel. We strolled through the 4 quarters of the old city, experiencing the diversity and cultural differences that lie within. Our time at the Old City afforded us the opportunity to not only experience the Kotel (the Western Wall), but also place all of the notes entrusted to us by congregants that placed those notes in the Wall of  the Temple’s Israel Land exhibit.

As Shabbat came to an end, we had a delicious al fresco meal at Beit Ticho, a historical artisan residence and estate. On Sunday morning, though we hated to say goodbye to the luxurious comforts of the Mamilla Hotel,  it was time to part for the last two days of our rigorous biking adventure. Following a short ride on the bus, we began our day’s ride due north of Beit Geuvrin, and biked a staggering 57 miles through countless rolling hills and farmland. Along the way, we stopped off in Sderot, and toured the playground which was donation by our congregation several months ago.

After, we stopped for lunch at Black Arrow, a commemorative park to those brave soldiers who gave their lives in the defense of their country. The park overlook Gaza City, which was clearly visible within a 2 mile distance.

We ended the day at Carmei Avdat, an oasis, B&B, and winery in the middle of the Negev Desert. During our dinner, we were treated to a superlative award ceremony, hosted by Bonnie and Judy.

It’s hard to belive that tomorrow will be our last day of biking, as the time has surely flown by. Please check back tomorrow for our final blog entry. Until then….

Rabbi J. Nevarez and the TST Bikers

Remember, we do this all for the children of Tel Aviv, and if you are so inspired to support our riding cause, please donate by pressing the donate button (above right), and for more info on this amazing tzedakah project, click here.

To see a detailed map and real-time statistics from days 5 and 6, click below:

Day 5:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/54035951

Day 6:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/54204215

For some great pics from the last days, click here.

Today was wonderfully profound and varied for the TST Riders. We began early this morning by biking along the Mediterranean and the streets of Tel Aviv (the women on our trip felt short-changed as they had to resort to window-shopping by bike). We had a moving ride up to City Hall, specifically to the site where Israel’s former Prime Minister, Yitzchak Rabin, was shot in 1995 at a peace rally. Yesterday, Israelis commemorated the hebrew date on which Rabin was murdered, amidst his hopes and prayers for peace.

We were greeted by temple friend and a Director of the Tel Aviv Foundation, Meggie Navon, who escorted us up to meet Mayor Ron Huldei of Tel Aviv. After greetings, we presented him with an honorary TST Biking Jersey.

We then headed to the site in which our visions will soon become reality-to help disadvantaged children receive a parity education, so they can have the opportunity to be productive and educated contributors to the future of Israel and the Jewish people’s future.

We stopped for lunch at Latrun, and headed to the outskirts of Jerusalem to begin our afternoon ride. (good news: the temperature dropped to 95 degrees today). It must be said: there is truly something divine about making your way by bike from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea!

We ended our day floating in the Dead Sea (no cuts=no pain), and are ready for a good night’s sleep, before waking up at 5:30am to climb Masada.

Stay tuned for more adventures from your wacky bikers…..

Rabbi J. Nevarez and the TST Bikers

Remember, we do this all for the children of Tel Aviv, and if you are so inspired to support our riding cause, please donate by pressing the donate button (above right), and for more info on this amazing tzedakah project, click here.

To see a detailed map and real-time statistics from days 3, 4, or 5, click below:

Day 3
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53852664

Day 4, morning
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53852652

Day 5, afternoon
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53852642

For some great pics from the last days, click here.

We began our day with a sunrise prayer service on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Feeling spiritually awakened, we resumed our journey on an uphill path toward

From L to R: R. Nevarez, Hila, Bonnie, Jeff K., Yaffa Attias

Bet Sha’an, an incredible restored archaeological site that reminded us all of images one would likely see in Greece and Rome. We had great fun taking photos at the ruins of the roman public toilets (pictures certainly to follow).

As the temperature exceeded 100 degrees for a second day in a row, we courageously moved on to our next destination, Beit Alfa-an ancient 5th Century synagogue with incredible mosaics that withstood the test of time. After that much-needed air conditioned break, we made our way to a natural spring preserve, where many of us partook of the fresh waters (thus reducing our body temperatures to a manageable level), and enjoyed the merits of a wonderful picnic lunch.

After much discussion, logic took over, and we ended our riding for the day, and opted for swimming in the mediterranean (two seas down, two to go)!

We ended our evening, reconnecting with the Attias family (friends of our congregation) over a wonder dinner in the city of Zichron Ya’akov.

Tomorrow, we look forward to meeting Ron Huldai, the Mayor of Tel Aviv, and visiting one of the home centers we are supporting through our ride.

Until tomorrow….

Remember, we do this all for the children of Tel Aviv, and if you are so inspired to support our riding cause, please donate by pressing the donate button (above right), and for more info on this amazing tzedakah project, click here.

Please be patient for new pics, as we have been having uploading issues. In the meantime, check these out: click here.

Day two arrived, and we awoke early, with hope of beating the heat. NO SUCH LUCK. Today’s average temperature was a scorching 102.6 degrees.

We started today’s journey, leaving straight from our “luxury log cabins” at the Kibbutz, and headed to our first stop at the Golan Heights Winery at around 9am. While we thought it a little odd to be sampling wines so early in the morning, we were told that groups line up even earlier in the day for tastings!

After our stop, we cruised through the rolling hills (where Fensterman and Nevarez continued their daily one-up bike battle – results still coming in…) and stopped at Gamla Nature Preserve, enjoying an incredibly historic site from the rabbinic period.

Next, it was onto more rolling hills and an extraordinary downhill, where top speeds were clocked at 45mph. We made it to the end of our downhill (35 miles completed before lunch), had a nice picnic lunch, and  frolicked in the natural streams of the Golan (we literally walked the waters), where  Bonnie, Jeff, and Perry befriended a group of young orthodox Ethiopian Jewish girls.

We rode the last 10 miles to our new hotel, and took a well-deserved swim in the pool and the Sea of Galilee (which wasn’t much cooler than our own body temperatures).

Despite the extreme heat, the water revived us, and we had a wonderful dinner by the Sea, topped off with a trip to a delicious Gelateria and our first stop at Armona Cafe (the Rabbi’s favorite)!

All through our days, laughs and jokes abound, and we are excited to make our way tomorrow to Beit Sha’an (a very interesting archaeologic site), biking from sea-to-sea, and ending our day in Mediterranean.

Laila Tov from the Galilee – until tomorrow …..

Rabbi J. Nevarez and the TST Bikers

Remember, we do this all for the children of Tel Aviv, and if you are so inspired to support our riding cause, please donate by pressing the donate button (above right), and for more info on this amazing tzedakah project, click here.

To see a detailed map and real-time statistics of our journey today, click here.

For some great pics from our second day, click here.

Greetings from the Golan Heights, in the north of Israel! What an amazing first full day this has been. The group has really come together, and everyone is connecting beautifully. This morning, after a hearty breakfast, we were off (bike gear and all) to the very outskirts of the Golan, in an area called Nimrod, where we began our bike journey. The cultural differences (as our guide Nir puts it) were witnessed in our first glances of the scenic overview, as we were first getting onto our bikes – less than a mile to the Lebanese and Syrian borders – most present in the contrasting lushness and vegetation found inside Israel’s borders, and its absence in the two neighboring countries.

We started our ride with a downhill run, followed by some tricky hills. We stopped at Kibbutz Elrom, where we watched a powerful short film about the 1973 YK War and the Syrian offensive, which ultimately ended with Israel’s acquisition of the entire Golan Heights.

One of those hills mentioned earlier rose to approximately 3,000 feet above sea level (and note the average temperature during today’s ride was 96.8 degrees). Today’s MVP riding goes to Bert Wolff, the only rider to completely ride up that massive 1-mile long steep uphill without walking his bike! At the top of the hill, we toured an old bunker that was used by Israeli forces during the YK war.

Our afternoon, any cyclist would find exilerating, as we descended and began a 25 mile track of beautiful landscape and rolling hills (top speeds recorded 35-40mph), fueled by a lunch that consisted ONLY of delicious dark chocolate, cappuccino, and dry apricots – still enough to keep Judy Fensterman and Rabbi Nevarez busy in their one-up road biking competition!

The last few miles of today’s ride had us descend to a spot just north of the Kinneret (the sea of Galilee), where we completed a 45-mile first day. We ended the evening at a local micro-brewery that makes Golan beer.

We look forward to tomorrow, completing our journey around the Golan, and ending the day near Tiberias. 

                                          -Rabbi Nevarez and the TST Riders

Remember, we do this all for the children of Tel Aviv, and if you are so inspired to support our riding cause, please donate by pressing the donate button (above right), and for more info on this amazing tzedakah project, click here.

To see a detailed map and real-time statistics of our journey today, click here. 

For some great pics from our first day, click here.

WE HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED! After a pretty smooth flight, our group arrived late this afternoon in Tel Aviv, as we were warmly greeted by Nir (our tour guide), Avinoam (our bike guy), and Pesach (our driver). We are happy to say all the bikes arrived safely from New York, and will greet us tomorrow morning, as we begin our bike journey.

We loaded the bus and started on our journey north toward the Golan Heights. On the way, we drove to the town of Rosh Pina and ate dinner at a wonderful Israeli-tapas restaurant-a most delicious meal!

Albeit a bit tired and jetlagged, we look forward to a much-needed rest at Kibbutz Or Tal (overlooking the Syrian border), and are really looking forward to starting our bike journey on behalf of the children of Tel Aviv early tomorrow morning! Laila Tov from the Golan Heights….

Rabbi Nevarez and the TST Bikers

2008 TST Riders Biking in the Negev Desert

Dear Friends,

Once again, I will be blessed to connect with the land and people of Israel in such a visceral, spiritual way; biking through the land our ancestors walked through, that our Israeli brethren continue to support and defend, and affording me an opportunity to spend this time with a number of incredibly fun, interesting, and amazing individuals from our congregation.

 This year, our 10 days will be spent traversing the land, beginning in the Golan Heights, with Syria to the northeast, Lebanon immediately to the north, heading south along the Jordan River on the road adjacent to the Golan Heights, awed by the history surrounding us. We will head down to the Kinneret, bike a sea-to-sea adventure (Lake Kinneret to the Mediterranean), and make our way through central Israel, with enough time to spend a restful Shabbat in Jerusalem.

After our Shabbat experience, we will bike the Negev, where we will ride through picturesque rolling hills, some 1500-2000 feet above sea level, and finish our adventure by descending over 7 miles into the beautiful port/resort city of Eilat. Our last day will be spent touring the ancient city in Petra, Jordan.

We are all looking forward to this amazing experience. I hope you will join us (virtually, that is), as we will be blogging daily. My hope and prayer is that this ride will bring each of us physical, emotional, and spiritual satisfaction, and allow us to connect our experiences to the journeys we will have biking Israel.

So may each of us be blessed with similar opportunities in our lives, striving to find meaning and blessing in the gifts which God has given us, and may the upcoming mission and success of our TST Bikers be something to emulate in the years ahead! 

                                                                                                                                                                                 L’shalom – Rabbi Jason Nevarez