Michigan Natives Cycle Across Israel with Wounded IDF Veterans

Photo credits: Nadav Ariel.

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. – Michigan Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) supporters Leon Berdy, of Clinton Township, Rabbi Alon Tolwin, of Southfield, along with FIDF Cycling Tour leader Dany Saar, of West Bloomfied, and 34 other supporters from across the U.S., concluded a six-day bicycle ride through Israel last month. Joining the American FIDF supporters for this cross- country ride, which began in northern Israel on Sept. 18, was a group of wounded Israeli combat veterans who have benefited from FIDF rehabilitative programs and prosthetic devices. The ride allowed participants to show solidarity with the brave men and women of the IDF and experience Israel in a whole new way.

“This cycling tour was an incredible opportunity to bring FIDF supporters together with Israeli soldiers and strengthen the bonds between them,” said Saar, a former IDF soldier and avid cyclist. “Biking across Israel with wounded veterans allowed participants to really connect with the brave men and women benefiting from FIDF programs.”

The 37 cyclists from across the U.S. covered more than 400 miles and a total vertical climb of about 32,000 feet. Cyclists began near the Sea of Galilee and rode along the Jordanian border, then climbed the Golan Heights toward Mt. Hermon, Israel’s tallest peak, before descending to the lowest point on Earth, the Dead Sea, and riding through the Ramon Crater in the Negev Desert. The tour ended at Tel Aviv’s scenic Mediterranean beach. Along the way, the group visited Israeli military bases, national landmarks, and ancient historic sites.

Photo #1: The group of 37 cyclists and FIDF supporters from across the U.S. by Tel Aviv’s coast.

Photo #2: The group of 37 cyclists and FIDF supporters from across the U.S. at a memorial in the Golan Heights’ Valley of Tears, the site of a major battle during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Photo #3: Former IDF 1st Lt. David Peretz, who lost his leg in a battle in Lebanon in 1985, during the FIDF Cycling Tour of Israel.

Photo #4: Cyclists on the FIDF Cycling Tour of Israel riding through the Negev Desert.

Photo #5: (From left) FIDF supporter Charles Feingold, of Dove Canyon, Calif.; FIDF Cycling Tour of Israel leader Dany Saar, of West Bloomfield, Mich.; wounded IDF officer Gil Shoham, a veteran of Israel’s 1973 Yom Kippur War; and FIDF supporter Leon Berdy, of Clinton Township, Mich., in the southern Golan Heights (photo credit: Nadav Ariel).

Photo #6: Dany Saar with some of the wounded Israeli combat veterans who have benefited from FIDF rehabilitative programs and prosthetic devices and joined the cycling tour (photo credit: Nadav Ariel).

Photo #7: Rabbi Alon Tolwin, of Southfield, Mich., riding with no hands during the FIDF Cycling Tour of Israel (photo credit: Nadav Ariel).

Photo #8: Leon Berdy, of Clinton Township, Mich., taking a selfie with FIDF Cycling Tour of Israel leader Dany Saar of West Bloomfield, Mich. (photo credit: Courtesy of Leon Berdy).

A short video from the cycling tour can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/ggK6b-ifETc (video credit: Ido Cohen).

About Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF):

FIDF was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors as a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization with the mission of offering educational, cultural, recreational, and social programs and facilities that provide hope, purpose, and life-changing support for the soldiers who protect Israel and Jews worldwide. Today, FIDF has more than 150,000 loyal supporters, and 16 regional offices throughout the U.S. and Panama. FIDF proudly supports IDF soldiers, families of fallen soldiers, and wounded veterans through a variety of innovative programs that reinforce the vital bond between the communities in the United States, the soldiers of the IDF, and the State of Israel. For more information, please visit: www.fidf.org.