7 Houston Natives Cycle Across Israel with Wounded IDF Veterans

Photo Credits: Nadav Ariel.

HOUSTON – Seven Houston-area supporters of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), along with 30 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.

The cyclists from the Houston area included Jacob Brandt, Igor Cherches, Mark Davis, Mark Mucasey, Gregg Sheena, Craig Teller, and Robert Zurawin.

“Seven members of our Houston bike team, the Bellaire Kvetchers Cycling Group, joined the FIDF Cycling Tour of Israel this year – and all of us completed the tour with the least amount of ‘kvetching’ – or complaining – that I’ve ever heard,” said Mucasey, who lives in Bellaire.

“Biking together in the land of our ancestors took our breath away, sometimes quite literally. The ‘Golan Heights’ took on a new meaning as we struggled to make the climb, and it took three hours of pushing in our lowest gears to scale Mt. Hermon, Israel’s tallest peak. There, overlooking Israel, Syria, and Lebanon, we stood together with the brave men and women of the IDF who watch tirelessly over our homeland. We couldn’t have felt more secure – or more proud.”

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.

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

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: FIDF supporter Jacob Brandt, of Bellaire, riding through the Negev Desert.

Photo #6: (From left) Houston-area FIDF supporters Igor Cherches, Robert Zurawin, Mark Davis, Gregg Sheena, Craig Teller, Jacob Brandt, and Mark Mucasey on the Tel Aviv Boardwalk.

Photo #7: FIDF supporter Igor Cherches, of Bellaire, standing on an IDF tank.

Photo #8: Robern Zurawin (left), of Houston, and Mark Mucasey (right), of Bellaire, begin each day by blowing the shofar, an instrument made of ram’s horn used for Jewish religious purposes.

Photo #9: Bellaire Kvetchers Jacob Brandt, Mark  Mucasey, Igor Cherches, Mark Davis, and Robert  Zurawin.

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.