Last February, as part of our Starr Seminar through Hornstein, the Jewy MA I’m earning, we meet with Nigel, the head and founder of Hazon. I was immediately smitten with the idea of Hazon– combining Jewish ideals and teachings with healthy environmental practices? holy moly! The boiled down mission statement of the organization is: to create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community — as a step towards a healthier and more sustainable world for all. Arava works with Hazon to organize two bike rides a year, raising money and awareness for the environment, the goals of AIES and being, basically, super awesome (or, better expressed in their tagline: cycling for Peace, Partnership and Environmental Protection.) The Israel Rides are 5 days each and 300 miles, one from Tel Aviv to Eilat and the other up north. It’s a great way to explore Israel, learn about environmental issues in the area and also help raise money and awareness for the idea of environmental cooperation in the Middle East. Hazon also has a NY Bike ride each year in September, which involves a Shabbaton dedicated to personal renewal, growth and learning. The bike ride raises a large amount of money to support Hazon and other organizations that support environmental causes in the Jewish community, both in the US and Israel.
Recently Nigel forwarded my contact information to a Boston Hazon Board Member, who in turn, has asked for my help with recruitment and fundraising. Since there’s simply no way I could be ready by early september to bike a heck of a long way (esp. since I am bikeless in Israel), I volunteered to help crew the ride. The exciting part of that is that once this board member realized where I was this summer, he told me to check with AIES to see if they would like me to serve as another rep for the Institute. Details are still being worked out, but it all looks positive. Besides helping out with the basic aspects of the ride, it means I’d also be serving on a panel with an Israeli and Palestinian/Jordanian alumni of the Arava program.
I’m pretty excited about this opportunity. I’m a huge fan of Hazon and really wouldn’t mind if this led to more contacts with the organization and employment potential (me, living in New York? again, another holy moly! type idea). I’m also worried about going through Arava withdrawal once I return back to Boston, so this will be a great way to not have to go completely cold turkey. I will probably have a fund raising quota, so, I guarantee that if you read this blog, you will probably be hearing a whole lot more about how wonderful this cause is and how every little bit counts. In the meantime, check out their website at www.hazon.org to learn more.
In other news, I washed some clothes in the sink today and hung them outside while I made lunch. In the time it took to transfer cottage cheese to a bowl, cut up two peaches, refil my water bottle, grab my bag and head back outside, my clothing was about 80% dry. I will continue to wear the sunscreen, before the same thing happens to my skin.
