Jonathan Arkush leads bikers off on solidarity ride from London to Jerusalem

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A group of motorbike riders today embarked on a 2,000 mile road trip from the Board of Deputies’ offices in London to Jerusalem, in solidarity with Israel

They were led off on the first leg of their trip through London to Tower Bridge by Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush, himself a keen biker. Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev was also present to wish the bikers well on their journey

The Ride4Solidarity (R4S) bikers, from Romania, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Israel and the US, will cross Europe with their national flags and the Israeli flag on their bikes.

The 14 bikers, women and men, Christians and Jews, are riding together in support for Israel, as the country commemorates important dates in its history including 100 years since the Balfour Declaration and 50 years since the Six Day War. Nine of the group started from London and they will be joined by a further five riders in Germany. The bikers will be riding through 11 countries during the journey and are scheduled to carry the torch from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as part of the opening ceremony of the Maccabiah Game, beginning on July 6.

Jonathan Arkush, his own bike emblazoned with Israeli flags, spoke of his happiness to be accompanying the bikers on the first leg of their journey. He said: “I want to pay tribute to you guys. You are riding in solidarity with Israel. It’s a country you believe in. You believe in its freedoms its rights and its liberties. I’ve ridden with you for an hour and 20 minutes from Borehamwood and I just hope the traffic is better on the rest of the journey.”

Mark Regev said: “By travelling on this bike ride you are celebrating Israel and you are celebrating freedom. I hope you have a good time and enjoy the road.”

Photo: Gary Perlmutter

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