When best friends Jenny Green and David BenMoshe attended a Shabbaton in Washington, D.C. last year, they happened to strike up a conversation with Lisa Kaneff, a young woman who told them about a program she was organizing, Jews on Bikes.
Part exercise, part social, part spiritual – Jews on Bikes brought Jews together for a bike ride throughout DC, followed by Havdallah services and happy hour.
Why not, they thought, take that idea and bring it to Baltimore, a city boasting a thriving bike culture and a growing Jewish young adult presence?
With that in mind, this spring, the two will launch a Baltimore version of Jews on Bikes. Beginning with a leisurely bike ride along Baltimore City bike paths, it will culminate at a downtown bar for Havdallah and drinks.
“Havdallah is one of my favorite parts of Shabbat,” says Green. “It’s a beautiful way to start the beginning of the week – from the singing to the wine to the aroma of the spices.”
“It’s also a great way to build Jewish community,” adds BenMoshe.
Jews on Bikes is one of several grassroots projects being launched in Baltimore, thanks to microgrants from The Associated’s JBIG initiative. These grants, up to $1,000 each, fund new ideas to foster Jewish community and Jewish identity.
Last year, JBIG supported 11 projects, ranging from a back-to-the-land, all-night Shavuot celebration to a Shabbaton themed around technology and Jewish identity. The grants were made available through the generosity of the Grandchildren of Harvey M. and Lyn P. Meyerhoff Philanthropic Fund and the Nathan & Lillian Weinberg Family Foundation.
Liz Simon-Higgs, another grant recipient, learned about the grants from the Macks Center for Jewish Education, where she formerly volunteered as a community connector before returning to work full-time. As a connector, Simon-Higgs started bringing downtown families together for Havdallah and now wanted to expand the experience.
“Havdallah is a great way to end Shabbat – to mark Jewish time with family and neighbors in a friendly setting, it’s a beautiful service that is great for the senses,” she says.
Through JBIG, Simon-Higgs has organized Havdallah events at the Downtown Baltimore JCC. Each evening includes the service, a vegetarian pizza dinner and a craft – in one instance families made their own Havdallah candles for home observance. There is talk of bringing in a local rabbi for informal learning.
Since she started the program, it’s become a central gathering for the downtown Jewish families in the community.
Not only has the experience provided meaning to Shabbat, it’s had an unintended, yet positive outcome for the Simon-Higgs family. The service has been an accessible way for her older son, who is on the autism spectrum, to learn about Jewish observance.
I’m hoping these Havdallah programs continue and that families can tailor them to be meaningful as their children grow,” she says.
Learn how you can seed your own grassroots program. Go to associated.org/jbig for more information. Applications for this year close March 15, 2017.
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