SOLANA BEACH, California (SDJW) –Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, former Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman, and Jeffrey Essakow, a founder of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, were among 100 cyclists who were gathered by word of mouth Sunday, Jan 14, to ride in solidarity with the Israeli hostages who have been held captive by Hamas for 100 days.

Faulconer, now running for a seat on the County Board of Supervisors, commented, “It is a privilege today to ride with 100 others in strong solidarity with Israel and our Jewish community in San Diego.”  Zimmerman said, “Today is the 100^th day since the brutal Hamas attack and for the hostages still in captivity.  They must be all be safely returned now.  We pedal in solidarity with our sister city Sha’ar Hanegev and all of Israel.” Essakow pointed out that the riders were of all faiths, who pray for the safe return of approximately 130 hostages.

Most of the cyclists rode at a leisurely 2 1/2 -hour  pace on a roundtrip route that covered between 32 and 33 miles and which climbed 1,352 feet, according to Zimmerman.  The route started at Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach, dipped south, then east to Olivenhain, and then north to La Costa, before returning to Fletcher Cove.

Initially, the cyclists thought they simply would pedal from Solana Beach up the coast to Oceanside Harbor and back, but they changed their plans once they learned that runners in the Carlsbad Marathon would cover much the same route.  Some cyclists who had children with them, or were riding tandem, opted to skip the hilly inland portions of the solidarity bike ride, and more or less followed the coast.

Zimmerman said the cyclists were greeted with friendly honks by passing motorists, waves from pedestrians, and shouts of support for Israel.  She said they did not hear a single negative comment.

Some of the cyclists donned made-to-order Israel jackets for the occasion.  In fact, those in one group wearing the Israeli garb only received it via Fedex the morning of the ride, Zimmerman said.

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The Leichtag Foundation in Encinitas and Impact Cubed are sponsoring a webinar on the needs of IDF families at 10 a.m., Thursday, January 18.  Speakers will be Rachel Azaria and Sapir Bluzer.  Charlene Seidle, executive vice president of the Leichtag Foundation, explained that “with more than 350,000 reservists and soldiers deployed, many families are suddenly without a parent or key family member. This places extreme stress on the spouse to balance childcare, household duties, financial struggles, and more all while enduring fears about their family member at war.”

Azaria is a former member of  Israel’s Knesset and a Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem.  She wrote in Hebrew The Guide to Revolution, which teaches techniques for social change.  She also chairs Life and Environment, an umbrella organization of 130 environmental groups, and is a trustee of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Bluzer is a senior consultant on economic reforms to Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Industry.  A former CEO of Israel’s National Student Association, she founded and is leading “The Reservist Wives Forum.” She is a former officer in the intelligence branch of the Israeli Air Force.

One hundred percent of the funds that are raised in the campaign “will go to real-time urgent needs for Israelis who have had their lives torn apart – evacuation of families and support for the evacuated; protective equipment; massive triage and logistics; crisis intervention trauma support; and resources to fund funerals and related expenses will be the first priorities,” according to organizers.

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Rabbi Moishe Leider of Chabad of University City will celebrate his birthday with a musical Melava Malka (a festive meal in honor of the departure of the ‘Sabbath Queen’) on 7:30 p.m., Saturday evening, Jan. 13 at his home near the synagogue.  “Rachel & Ami” will perform.

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Marking the Jan. 14 birthday of the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, San Diego’s klezmer musician Yale Strom related that he had an opportunity to perform with Rabbi Carlebach on his first visit to Poland in 1988.  Strom said that “ I was working on my film At the Crossroads: Jews in Eastern Europe Today (with Oren Rudavsky) when we saw him visiting the famous Krakow Jewish Cemetery. He saw me with my violin and said to follow him into the famous REMUH Synagogue. He asked me to take out the violin and listen. The synagogue was packed with people. Every few minutes Rabbi Carlebach asked me if I could hear the strains of the melody. First, I didn’t understand what he meant but then I realized he was composing a song at that very moment while being spiritually infused as he stood on the very bima Rabbi Moses Issreles stood and prayed. Slowly I could hear a discernable melody coming from Rabbi Carlebach. An hour later everybody in the shul was singing the “Cracower Nign” which Rabbi Carlebach wrote at that moment. Now the melody is sung all over the world often on erev shabes. That evening I joined the rabbi on stage for his concert in the opera house. Both experiences I will never forget.”

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Micah Parzen, CEO of the Museum of Us, is supporting the San Diego Public Library’s efforts to encourage more people to read books.  Anyone who shows a library card, with matching photo identification, will be admitted to the museum for free on Saturday, January 27, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.  During the first hour of that event, museum goers are invited to “bring a gently used book that deserves a new home and leave with a new-to-you book of your own.” Participants wrap their books and write a brief description of its contents, then “engage in facilitated discussion about your book – while keeping the title a surprise!”  They then choose a wrapped book to take home.

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SDJA staff report