Updated March 11, 2020 at 9:30 AM:
For the second year in a row, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven’s jHaven group will partner with students, lay leaders and professionals from faith groups throughout the New Haven area to host a multifaith hike, bike ride and celebration on Sunday, April 26. The event is in support of Rock to Rock’s 12th annual Earth Day Ride, which will be held the previous day.
This event is geared for individuals and families across the Jewish spectrum. It will get you outdoors, connect you with nature, strengthen your heart and health, and immerse you in our rich tradition. If that wasn’t enough, Rock to Rock supports 36 local causes that are feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and supporting those in need in our community.
Our timeless tradition, sages, teachers, and texts have a lot to say on why we should care about the environment. Opportunities like Rock to Rock for our community to come together do not happen often enough. It is our hope that this event can serve as a precedent for more opportunities to come together in celebration, strengthened and united as Jews in all of our many ways.
Initially organized last year as an alternative ride for observant Jews who could not participate in the official Rock to Rock festivities on Saturday, the event took on new significance when a series of coordinated terrorist attacks were perpetrated upon the Muslim residents of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was in response to this hateful act that jHaven member Josh Weinstein had the idea to turn his “Jewish alternative to Rock to Rock” into a multifaith community-wide celebration multifaith event, open to other religious communities in New Haven who may not have otherwise participated in Rock to Rock.
We know too well that when one community isn’t safe, none of us are. “Like hatred and intolerance, the effects of climate change are felt equally by members of all faiths. This event provides an opportunity for us to model what it can look like when we all come together to address a common adversary,” says Weinstein.
Participants will have the choice to take part in either a 12-mile bike ride or 2-mile hike, both of which will depart from the College Woods section of East Rock Park, beginning at 12 p.m. Afterwards, riders and hikers will reconvene afterwards for a multifaith celebration of hope and resilience in the face of adversity.
Your family, your synagogue, your school, your organization, your group of friends, are all invited and encouraged to create a team to participate in Rock to Rock this April.
For more details and registration, visit jewishnewhaven.org/rocktorock2020.
