Bet El’s Pre-IDF Preparatory Academy announces its first annual bike trek—the Israel Cadet Trek 2016 (http://israelcadettrek.com/). Under the academy’s supervision, the cadets’ lives take on vision, meaning and purpose, and they emerge as strong individuals and dependable soldiers. Baruch Gordon, the academy’s director of development, explains, “We incorporate learning with meaning and fun. That’s the whole idea behind our first annual Israel Cadet Bike Trek. Cadets and donors will bike together for three days around the land. Participants will learn about the land and can opt for team-building, military exercises. The trek will end moments before the beginning of the Lag B’Omer holiday near Rashbi’s tomb in Meron where some 500,000 visitors will celebrate.”
The Bike Trek is slated for May 24-26. More information can be found on their website IsraelCadetTrek.com. The academy seeks input from potential cyclists on what makes a successful bike trek. There is a survey (http://israelcadettrek.com/take-the-survey/) available on the site to take, with no obligations, regarding the trek. Once the information is collected and tallied, a detailed description of the trek and its activities will be posted, and registration will open. SAG (support and gear) support will be provided each day in the form of assistance for riders and their bikes for anyone who tires out.
The Pre-IDF Preparatory Academy is a private institution providing soldiers of disadvantaged social and economic backgrounds with a meaningful year of intensive training prior to their three-year service in the IDF. By focusing on character building and Jewish identity, each cadet is given the confidence to believe in his own future. In addition, the cadet leaves the academy with high confidence that he can make a meaningful contribution to the defense of the Jewish nation.
When asked what sets Bet El’s Pre-IDF Academy apart from other institutions like it, Gordon responds, “The IDF itself asked us a similar question, probing how it is that our cadets enlist to combat and commando units, while all their peers and classmates opt for menial labor jobs in the IDF. Our secret is that we accept each student as is, without judgment or criticism. In addition to steady meals and housing, we encourage, motivate and develop the students’ skills, enabling them to sprout untapped emotional, physical and spiritual strengths. Our staff members become an emotionally consistent, Jewish values-grounded resource in the cadet’s life.”
Bike enthusiasts who love Israel and want to strengthen the IDF from within by investing in its incoming cadets, check out the Israel Cadet Trek 2016 (http://israelcadettrek.com/).
