Hazon Bike Rides
Since 2001, over two thousand people have experienced a Hazon bike ride. Hazon has active rides in New York, California, and Israel. In 2012 we re-launched the Cross-USA Ride, first held in 2001. We have also held smaller rides and other events over the past ten years. Each ride raises money to further Hazon's education work and the work of our partners. All Hazon rides are fully supported, with rest stops, mechanics, and luggage transport.
Learn what programs have benefited from the proceeds of the rides
Jewish Environmental Bike Rides
Grab life by the handlebars! A 9-week tour from Seattle, WA to Washington DC, with shorter segments available between major cities. Ride to support sustainable food systems,
June 13 - Aug 16, 2013
A relaxing two-day weekend retreat followed by a two-day ride through the Hudson Valley. Non-riders can join as crew or come for Shabbat.
Aug 30 - Sept 2, 2013
A week-long adventure to explore the land of Israel from the seat of your bike. In partnership with the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.
Oct 29 - Nov 5, 2013
A weekend of riding and relaxing. Ride for two days from Sonoma County into San Francisco. Non-riders can join for Shabbat or as crew.
Spring, 2014
Free one-day rides for high schoolers to explore the outdoors and Jewish tradition, led by experienced counselors.
From our blog
The Hazon Cross-USA Ride travels from Seattle to Spokane this week. See where it's stopping! Read on »
The Hazon Cross-USA Ride travels from Spokane to Helena this week. See where it's stopping! Read on »
We are happy to offer an option for those living in Israel to experience a part of the Israel Ride. Please note that we cannot Read on »
Bike Ride Resources
For those preparing to participate in a Hazon Ride, we have Training Tips to help you get ready for the road and Fundraising Tools to support your efforts to collect sponsorships.
Bicycle networks are expanding across the country. Our Cycling Advocacy resources explore various cycling issues and help you speak up for better bike lanes.
History of Hazon Rides
Hazon was created by Nigel Savage, after he discovered the outdoors as an adult. Through hikes and other outdoor experiences in Israel and North America, Nigel saw that there was a connection between Judaism and the natural world. He realized that his Jewish education as a child, which stressed the book and indoor learning, had failed to highlight the connection between Jewish festivals and the agricultural cycle, our obligation to care for the planet, and the strong link between Jewish tradition and the Earth's natural cycles. After a sea-to-sea hike in Israel, Nigel was so moved by the experience of traveling between two points on his own two feet that he was inspired to create a similar experience in the United States, with the first Hazon Cross-USA bike ride.
In 2000, Nigel and 11 other hardy souls crossed the county on bikes from Seattle to Washington, DC. Their journey across the country took 11 weeks and changed their lives. The feeling of moving across the county on bikes was empowering. The group felt like they could do anything after that experience, as some had previously never ridden further than 10 miles on a bike. The group was religiously diverse and had to work through many issues to form a committee that worked. The process of raising money was challenging, but giving away to the burgeoning Jewish environmental movement made everyone feel like they could make a difference in the world. From this experience Nigel built Hazon and our bike ride program.
All of Hazon's bike rides are geared to:
- Get people outside to experience the beauty and wonder of the natural world
- Get people to think differently about transportation and cycling, nationally and in Israel.
- Explore the connection between Jewish tradition and the natural world
- Have people experience moving through the world on their own power
- Create a Jewish community that we all want to be a part of: one that is religiously diverse, multi-generational, and environmentally responsible
- Build a community that welcomes and affirms GLBT Jews
- Build a community that welcomes non-Jews and interfaith families
- Help people recognize that they are more powerful than they thought
- Raise money for cutting-edge Jewish environmental projects in the United States and Israel
- Support Hazon's community building projects and year-round programming
The New York Ride was founded in 2001, and takes place each year over Labor Day Weekend. The Hazon New York Ride is more than a bike ride, it is a four-day event that includes a Shabbat retreat, a 2-day Ride and so much more. Additionally, it raises money for cutting-edge Jewish environmental projects in the United States and Israel.
2012
2011
- Camp Kinder Ring to Eden Village Camp to JTS
- Ride Chairs: Jessica Saragovi and Ezra Weinberg
- Our route passes through farms devastated a week earlier by Tropical Storm Irene.
- Highlights included cross the Walkway Over the Hudson and the Croton Dam.
- Photos, Participant List, Grant Recipients
2010
2009
- Kinder Ring back to Kinder Ring to JTS
- 152 riders raised $280,000
- Ride Chairs: Jenny Eisenburg and Michael Hopkins
- We offered a 30-mile route for the first time. Over Shabbat we celebrated a sheva brachot of two riders who got married the weekend before, and celebrated an engagement at the final rest stop.
- Photos, Participant List, Grant Recipients
2008
- Kinder Ring back to Kinder Ring to JTS
- 171 riders raised $297,000
- Ride Chairs: Elissa Meth and Andy Blau
- The Day 1 route was a loop back to camp, but century riders were detoured for miles when a house blew up on the route. For the first time since 2001, we ended at JTS.
- Photos, Participant List, Video, Grant Recipients
2007
- Isabella Freedman to Camp Surprise Lake to the JCC
- 191 riders raised $350,000
- Ride Chairs: Noa Heyman and Jon Drill
- Our largest ride ever, with a tent-city for 80 people (with portable showers). Our last year before outgrowing Isabella Freedman and our first overnight at Kinder Ring.
- Photos, Participant List, Grant Recipients
2006
- Isabella Freedman to Camp Surprise Lake to the JCC
- 145 riders raised $230,000
- Ride Chairs: Alan Ganapol and Noa Heyman
- After rain all weekend, the sun came out just before we started riding. But, a downed tree on the route forced us to detour everyone.
- Photos, Participant List, Grant Recipients
2005
- Isabella Freedman to Camp Surprise Lake to the JCC
- 149 riders raised $200,000
- Ride Chair: Cheryl Cook
- A rider celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at the ride, and we said Hallel in honor of Rosh Chodesh Elul at the first stop on Monday morning.
- Photos, Participant List, Grant Recipients
2004
- Isabella Freedman to White Plains to the JCC
- 145 riders raised $150,000
- Ride Chair: Heidi Sadowsky
- The ride moved to Isabella Freedman, home of the new Adamah program, for our first large Shabbat retreat. We offered a century route for the first time.
- Photos, Participant List, Grant Recipients
2003
- Hampton Jewish Center to the Huntington Jewish Center to the JCC
- 97 riders raised $113,000
- The weekend of the largest northeast blackout; on the first day of the ride it poured for four hours straight!
- Photos, Participant List, Grant Recipients
2002
- Sprout Lake Camp to White Plains to the JCC
- 126 riders raised $120,000
- The day before the ride, NY experienced the heaviest single-day rainfall in history. Clear skies for the ride though!
- Photos, Participant List, Grant Recipients
2001
- Kingston to the Rockland Jewish Center to JTS
- 40 riders raised $32,000
- One month after 9/11, our planned route through West Point Academy was changed due to security concerns.
- Photos, Participant List, Grant Recipients
The Golden Gate Ride (formerly the California Ride) is held every spring, and features a Shabbat retreat and a 2-day ride, with a century option for the first day. Funds raised support Hazon and other organizations that support environmental causes in Jewish communities in the United States and in Israel.
2011
Photos,
Participant List,
Video,
Grant Recipients
2010
Photos,
Participant List,
Video,
Grant Recipients
The Arava Institute and Hazon Israel Ride was founded in 2003, and takes place each year in November. The Ride brings people to Israel who've never visited before, and gives people who've been to Israel many times the chance to see the country from a unique vantage point - the seat of a bicycle! The experience builds relationships among American Jews, and between Israelis and Americans, and raises significant funds to support the work of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and for Hazon.
2012
- We explored both the North and South of Israel, including the Hula Valley Bird Sanctuary and the Kinneret. 60 riders raised $270,000.
- Photos, Participant List
- Blogs
2011
- We adjusted our classic route to include a new start from the Neve Shalom bi-cultural village. Other changes took riders through Makhtesh Gadol and to Timna. 81 riders raised $360,000.
- Photos, Participant List
- Blogs: Israel Ride Blogs
2010
2009
2008
- We returned to our classic tour for two Israel Rides in 2008, in the Spring and Fall. The Spring Ride had 74 riders who raised $371,000. The Fall Ride had 104 riders who raised $481,000.
- Fall Photos, Spring Photos, Spring Participant List, Fall Participant List, May Video
- Blogs: Hazon Official Blog, Team Atlanta, David Eisenberg, Bob Tucker, Rabbi Art Gould, Peter Ornstein, Yeshaya Ballon, Warren Galgut
2007
2006
2005
- 105 riders raised $408,000
- Our classic route of Jerusalem to Eilat was established, with a stop in Ashkelon on the Mediterranean coast and Shabbat in Mitzpe Ramon.
- Photos
2004
2003
2012
- Hazon's first Cross-USA Ride since the founding of Hazon in 2012, with a theme of "Sustainable Food Systems"
- 10 riders crossed the entire country, with another 40 joining for various months, weeks, and days.
- The Ride culminated with a finale in front of the White House and a celebratory BBQ provided by Grow and Behold.
- Press, Tumblr (photo-blog)
2000
- Hazon's inaugural event was an 11-week Ride from Seattle, WA to Washington, DC.
- 11 riders stopped at Jewish communities along the way to raise awareness about cycling and the environment.
- The Ride ended at the White House, and riders received the annual EnergyStar Congregation Award from the EPA.
Bike to the Beach - New York
Since 2005, Bike to the Beach has been a highlight of Hazon's summer training rides in the New York Area. Multiple routes leaves from 5 locations across New York City, all converging on Coney Island for lunch and some fun at the beach.
2007 - DC Ride
This one-day ride saw 70 participants ride through charming country roads of western Montgomery County, Maryland, along the Capital Crescent Bike Trail in Virginia, and urban bike lanes of Washington.
Photos, Participant List, Grant Recipients
Cross-USA Ride
New York Ride
Israel Ride
Golden Gate Ride
