A Blind Jew and an Ordained Minister Are Going to Israel

Posted in blindness, cycling on October 8th, 2012 by Rick

Rick and Derek on the Bilenky Viewpoint

So, a blind Jew and an ordained minister are planning a bike ride in Israel…

Sounds like the start of a joke, right? But it’s true. Let me tell you why.

As I’ve explained before, I’ve been slowly losing my sight for many years, and more than a decade ago I had to give up riding a bike on my own (after giving up driving a few years before that). I really didn’t think I would ever become a regular rider again, until I bought a (somewhat unusual) tandem about a year ago. Now I can go on rides around beautiful Boulder with my friend and co-worker Derek Brouwer, who is a strong enough rider to be able to captain that great beast of a bike. Derek and I regularly go on rides at lunchtime, and recently managed to complete 85 miles at the Colorado Buff Classic bike ride.

A few months ago, I got an email from Camp Ramah, advertising a fundraiser for their special needs camping program (Tikvah, or Hope). Through these programs, they are able to provide, in addition to their regular camps, Jewish camping experiences for children, teens and adults with mental, physical, and emotional challenges (including blindness and low vision). Because I was fortunate enought to work at a Ramah camp (in Massachusetts) for a summer in high school, and my son, Daniel, was a camper during the inaugural summer at Ramah Outdoor Adventure here in Colorado, I have a warm spot in my heart for the Ramah camping movement. This seemed like a terrific cause I could support on many levels.

The fundraiser is a week-long bike ride through Southern Israel, beginning in Jerusalem and ending in Eilat, with many stops in between (including Shabbat in Mitzpei Ramon, near the Ramon Crater). I looked at the email and thought: “This sounds like fun, and what a great cause!” So I walked over to Derek’s office and said, “Hey, Derek, how’d you like to ride the tandem around the Negev for a week next Spring?” And he said, “I’ll ask my wife.” Derek’s wife, Jane, being a extraordinarily wonderful woman, told him to go for it. So we signed up. Now, Derek is, in fact, an ordained minister. He has a deep respect for Judaism, and a fascination with the history of both our religious traditions. He’s never been to Israel, so he’s very happy to have a chance to see quite a bit of it on two wheels, and to support a worthy endeavor while he’s at it. But, honestly, he’s mostly doing this for me. He’s a kind man, and knows I wouldn’t be able to do a ride like this without him.

I also can’t do a ride like this without you. We have committed, between us, to raise $7200 for Camp Ramah’s special needs programs. Please go to my donation page to give. From there, you can go to Derek’s page, and to the main page describing the ride and our cause.

Thank you so much for your generous support.

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