Highland Park Cyclist Supports IDF On 6-Day Bike Trip

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — A Highland Park cyclist was among four local riders who traveled to Israel this fall to take part in an intense six-day bicycle ride through through the country to benefit the Israeli army.

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces was founded by a group of Holocaust survivors in 1981. The group helps widows, orphans, wounded soldiers and some of the thousands of Lone Soldiers, members of the Jewish diaspora who travel from around the world to join the IDF. The nonprofit now has 20 chapters throughout North America, and its central region is headquartered in Chicago.

Mike Fox, of Highland Park, was part of a group of more than 30 riders who biked across Israel to support FIDF. They were joined by an Israeli pro cyclist and a group of wounded IDF combat veterans who had been helped by prosthetics and rehab programs provided by FIDF.

"Many of them had lost limbs, but were still riding...Some of the guys who were with us were incredibly strong riders," Fox told Patch. "It was great to see those individuals and others who work with us are benefiting from the assistance of the Friends of the IDF to help improve the quality of their lives."

The trip started in Eilat on the Red Sea in the south of Israel.

"We were riding right along the Egyptian border," Fox said. "[Normally,] you would never see the border in that way. There were times when we would look off the road and we could see what looked like guards hanging out on some of the rocks."

The riders then headed north through Mizpe Ramon in the Negev.

"At night, it was just beautiful. We had a crescent moon but clear skies." Fox said, of the several mile wide crater. "During dusk and at night – and also first thing in the morning – from the top of the cliff looking over the crater [it was] very incredible."

Riding through the desert was a unique and memorable experience.

"This was a way to see the Negev up close and personal," Fox said. "It was tremendous."

From there, the group headed to Ashkelon, where they visited an Israeli army base on the border with Gaza.

"There were points where all of a sudden you'd look over your shoulder and you could see military training going on. We could see tanks firing their cannons and other machine guns going off," Fox remembered. "That's something we don't normally see in the States."

The six days of riding wrapped up with a tour around the Jerusalem Ring bike trail and a trip to memorial ceremony to honor high-ranking military official.

The FIDF Central Region has continued to provide support to Israeli soldiers in need through its Adopt-A-Brigade Program.

The program lets supporters visit soldiers in their adopted units and communicate with the unit commanders. Last year, the group connected supports with IDF soldiers from eight brigades and 68 battalions, squadrons and flotillas, according to FIDF.

And for the final night of Hanukkah this week, hundreds of soldiers were able to enjoy sufganiyot, the holiday's traditional jelly-filled doughnuts.

As part of the charity's Spiritual Needs Program, the FIDF has funded 40 Hanukkah parties on IDF bases, brought a total of 230,000 sufganiyot and provided 40,000 personal sets of menorahs, candles and gelt, as well as 40 giant menorahs.

_{Top photo: (From left) Natanel Levis of Israel, Eric Jaffee of Chicago and Michael Fox of Highland Park climb a steep incline in the Negev Desert on Oct. 22 | Credit: Gilad Kavalerchik}