Dear family and friends,
On june 23 i will be travelling to Poland to take part in the 10th annual Ride For The Living a 96k bike ride from Auschwitz to kracow to raise money for the Kracow JCC.
The Kracow JCC is a unique institution that is helping the small jewish community in Kracow flourish and provide much needed help to the handful of survivors who still call Poland home. As well the Kracow JCC has continued to extend a helping hand to a huge amount of Ukranians fleeing the ongoing war. While in Kracow i will have the opportunity to take part in some private tours including auschwitz-birkenau,educational programs and communal celebrations. One of the highlights of the program is reputed to be the 700 person shabbat dinner which is supposedly the largest shabbat dinner in Poland every year.
Most of you have supported me over the years when i participated in the Princess Margaret Ride to Conquer Cancer, which begs the question why am i doing this instead?
The answer is that since October 7 and the global rise of antisemitism i like so many of my friends have felt more in touch with my jewish identity and am open to new ways of embracing it. i have long wanted to travel to Poland to see first hand the historically devastating sites. When I first learned about this program i realized it would be a perfect fit for me, I have enjoyed road riding for many years and this would be an opportunity to participate in an event with like minded people while raising money for a stellar institution which is instrumental in bringing jewish life back to Poland.There will also be a few survivors who participate in the ride on the back of a tandem including one survivor who is commemorating his recent 96th birthday by pledging to raise 96,000.00 dollars,I hope i get to see him out on the road.
Thank you in advance for all your support. If you would like to be included on a mailing list i will send out documenting my experience please let me know. Please also note that the donations are made in USD not CAD for my Canadian peeps. I am very grateful for all of you who are helping me in this epic journey.
Rhonda