Jewish Motorcyclists Commemorate the Holocaust

Jewish motorcyclists from around the country joined the Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance’s (JMA) Fifth Annual Ride to Remember (R2R) recently in Savannah, Georgia. The Chai Riders Motorcycle Club rode from New York to Savannah to join in the fun and help raise money for a worthy cause.

The Ride to Remember is a fundraising project with proceeds going to Holocaust remembrance groups and other Jewish organizations. This year funds were raised for the planned Holocaust Educator’s Lending Library. Past Rides to Remember have benefited the Paper Clips Project in Whitwell, Tennessee, Magen David Adom and the National Holocaust Endowment Fund.

This year’s event kicked off with a terrific JMA barbecue held in Madison Square, directly behind the Savannah Hilton DeSoto. The weather was beautiful—it was a balmy and dry Southern spring evening. JMA attendees, new and old, had a great time eating, making new friends and getting reacquainted with old ones.

On Friday morning, the R2R attendees rode over to the Savannah Jewish Federation to enjoy a breakfast hosted by the Federation prior to the official ride to Charleston, SC. Unfortunately, the pouring rain and the forecast for continued heavy rainfall in the Charleston area forced the R2R organizing committee to cancel the ride for safety reasons. Nonetheless, about 125 JMA attendees decided to ride to Charleston and participate in a memorial service at the Charleston Holocaust Memorial, despite the downpour.

Riders returned late Friday afternoon for a wonderful Shabbat dinner with several notable speakers including Chaim Melamed, a survivor of four concentration camps and Sam Fried, the honoree of the 2008 R2R in Nebraska and the founder of the Heartland Holocaust Educational Fund in that state.

The 2009 R2R closed with a delicious buffet on a Savannah riverboat cruise with entertainment provided by Harvey Atkin who did about 40 minutes of very funny standup comedy.

Most importantly, despite the poor economy, there were 215 attendees who, through their collective efforts, raised $57,000 for the Holocaust Research and Lending Library in Savannah and The Remember Project in Charleston.

The Remember Program, offered at the Holocaust Educator’s Lending Library, affords students the opportunity to learn Holocaust history and apply the lessons to today’s society. Moreover, respect for individuals of all ethnicities and tolerance are taught. The Remember Project’s goals are to educate students about the horrors of the Holocaust, promote the concept of mutual respect for all peoples, goodwill and community building amongst all ethnicities in Charleston, and to inspire people to take a stand for what is right.