“Are there really Jewish motorcyclists? How can that be?”
I am often asked that question because the traditional image of a motorcyclist is one of an outlaw, a bad guy with tattoos who belongs to a gang and terrorizes others. Jews are supposed to be quiet people of the book. How can these different perceptions be reconciled? The answer might surprise many. The stereotyped image of a motorcyclist may not always reflect the truth. Not only are there Jewish individuals who ride motorcycles, there are over three dozen clubs throughout the USA, Canada, Australia and Israel that belong to the Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance (JMA). The individuals who belong to these clubs share both the passion to ride motorcycles and the bond of their faith. They are composed of Jewish doctors, rabbis, professionals, businessmen and individuals from all walks of life.
This past weekend Jewish motorcycle riders from across America and across the world gathered together in San Diegoto participate in the Jewish Motorcyclist Alliance’s annual “Ride 2 Remember” event. Some traveled cross-country on their motorcycles for thousands of miles to attend the event.
The Ride to Remember is an event like no other. Not only do Jewish bikers from all backgrounds and locations gather together to meet and greet each other, they assemble for the higher purpose of promoting a Holocaust memorial educational project so that the world never forgets the Shoah. Each year, a different city is chosen, one with a significant Holocaust memorial museum or theme of interest. The Ride to Remember, typically a two-hour ride, is used as a means of raising significant funds for these projects, typically, tens of thousands of dollars.
In previous years, money was raised for such causes as the famous Paper Clips Project created by the students at Whitwell, Tennessee. One year, close to $50,000 was raised for the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Another time, the chosen charity was the Museum of Diversity and Tolerance in Cleveland, Ohio. Close to $100,000 was raised to promote that worthy cause.
This year the chosen Holocaust educational cause was the Butterfly Project in San Diego. The Butterfly Project is a nonprofit organization that uses lessons of the Holocaust to educate others about the dangers of hatred and bigotry through the painting of ceramic butterflies, permanently displayed around the world to memorialize each of the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust. Paired with a meaningful lesson in history, handmade ceramic butterflies are counted collectively to reach their goal of 1.5 million butterflies displayed around the world, a global memorial symbolizing renewed life.
This year’s ride started at the San Diego Jewish Academy, where the bikers were met by hundreds of cheering students. The students were singing and dancing in their seats, never having experienced something like this before. The students and bikers later participated in breakout sessions with Holocaust survivors. I was able to meet Rose Schindler, a 92-year-old Auschwitz survivor from Czechoslovakia, who devoted her life to educating children about the horrors she experienced and the relatives she lost during World War II.
Cheryl Rattner-Price, the co-founder of the 16-year-old Butterfly Project, was very excited with the turnout for the event. She said that Holocaust survivors were very grateful for the lasting impact the project has had in schools and communities. “However, this is not enough,” she declared. “We are only scratching the surface of every young person having access to meaningful Holocaust education. As we are all too aware, we are facing new levels of antisemitism, Holocaust denial and denigration of the blessed memories of all who were killed.”
Hopefully, through the publicity and support of events such as the JMA’s Ride to Remember, more and more people will become better educated as to what happened in the Holocaust. This will help eradicate antisemitism, hatred and bigotry, so that we can truly say, “Never again.”
Rabbi Dr. Avi Kuperberg is a forensic, clinical psychologist and a member of the American Psychology-Law Society. He is acting president of the Chai Riders Motorcycle Club of NY/NJ. He is the coordinator of bikur cholim/chesed at Congregation Torah Ohr in Boca Raton, Florida. He can be reached at [email protected].
