Contact Us

I have questions about the Ride

For those in North America and other countries:

David Rendsburg , Ride Coordinator, Hazon - info@israelride.org

For those in Israel:

Elad Topel, Israel Ride Director, AIES - elad@arava.org

For thoughts/questions/feedback:

Howie Rodenstein, Ride Chairperson - howie@israelride.org

I have questions about the Arava Institute

David Weisberg , Executive Director - david@friendsofarava.org
Friends of the Arava Institute
2041 Herr Street Suite 18
Harrisburg, PA 17103 USA

Phone: (866) 31-ARAVA (866-312-7282)
Email: friendsofarava@arava.org

I have questions about Hazon

Nancy Lipsey, Ride Director - nancy@hazon.org
Hazon
45 West 36th Street, 8th floor
New York, NY 10018

Phone: (212)-644-2332
info@hazon.org. www.hazon.org

Meet the Organizers of the Israel Ride

Howie Rodenstein is an avid Zionist and cyclist., Howie founded the Ride in 2002, to show solidarity with Israel at a very difficult time and to raise money for two very special organizations that make a real difference in the world. The first Ride in May 2003 attracted 34 Riders and raised over $50,000. The 2007 Ride attracted 175 Riders and raised over $850,000. He has chaired and participated in the Ride in each of it first 5 years – and considers himself lucky to have met so many incredible people along the way. Howie is also a board member of Hazon, The Friends of the Arava Institute and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. A businessman from Newton, MA in his spare time, Howie grew up in Young Judaea, earned his MBA from Harvard Business school and has lived in Israel for over seven years at various times from ages 18 – 42. He has also been active in his local Jewish community. He is married with 2 children, of whom he is exceedingly proud.

David Lehrer was born in North Carolina and made aliyah with a group from Young Judea in 1978 to Kibbutz Ketura. He served in Nahal, IDF and studied at the Ruppin Institute, Ben Gurion University, and Boston University. He was twice on sabbatical in the United States for Young Judea and Habonim Dror. David is presently the Director of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. He is married and has three daughters.

Nigel Savage is originally from Manchester, England, and before founding Hazon Nigel was a professional fund manager in the English equivalent of Wall Street. He has an MA in American Jewish History from Georgetown, and learned at Pardes, Yakar, Hebrew University and Jerusalem Fellows. He founded Hazon in 2000. He is Vice-President of the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, and a founder and board member of Limmud New York. Nigel is infamous in the UK for his cameo appearance in the cult Anglo-Jewish comic movie, Leon The Pig Farmer, and was Executive Producer of the British independent movies Solitaire For 2 and Stiff Upper Lips. He is also believed to be the first English Jew to have cycled across South Dakota on a recumbent bike. Nigel serves as a North American board member of the Arava Institute.

Nancy Lipsey joined the Hazon staff as Ride Director. She will guide all of Hazon’s Rides and oversee expansion of the Ride program. Nancy has an MA in Nonprofit Management from the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Management at Case Western Reserve University. She has worked for the Jewish Community Centers in Atlanta and Detroit. Nancy recently spent three years living in Israel. She participated in the WUJS program and is a graduate of the Pardes Education Program. Nancy has also worked as a Jewish educator of children in Boston, of campers at Camp Barney Medinitz and adults as part of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School in Atlanta.

David Rendsburg participated in both the 2005 New York Ride and the 2006 Israel Ride before joining the Hazon staff in the summer of 2006. David graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Jewish Studies, and has been to Israel numerous times. He has traveled extensively through all of Israel, and has visited Jordan once, and can give a detailed account of the history of most archeological sites in both countries.

Elad Topel was born in Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim near Jerusalem. Elad has an MSc in Ecology from The Arava Institute and Ben Gurion University. Three years ago Elad founded a new community called Haruv. The ideology of the community is to find common ground between religious and secular Israeli-Jewish by learning from each other, creating a mixed educational system and living a sustainable life. The community started with three people and today has more than 35 families. Elad works as the director for the Israel Ride and is on the board of directors and the treasurer of Haruv.