Cycling for Freedom at the Third Annual Terezín-Prague Bike Rally

The third annual Bike Ride "Way to Freedom" from Terezín to Prague took place on a sunny Sunday morning in September. Most of the nearly 30 participants cycled the 86-kilometer distance, while a number of elderly showed their enthusiasm for the event by accompanying the bikers in vehicle transports; a few of them even insisted on cycling several kilometers.

The rally, initiated and sponsored by JDC and carried out by the Jewish Sports Club Ha Koach, has proven a successful outlet for the Jewish community of the Czech Republic to come to terms with its history. "The Terezín-Prague bike rally represents an active way for a new generation to identify with those Jews who were imprisoned in Terezín during World War II," says Yechiel, JDC Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Prior to departure, the participants gathered at the Terezín victims memorial to the Kaddish (prayer for the dead) for relatives who had perished in Terezín – a Jewish ghetto and concentration camp – or elsewhere during the Holocaust. They also remembered child victims of the recent terror attack in Beslan, Osetia.

At 10:00 a.m. participants began the long, beautiful journey near the Vltava River, stopping a few times throughout the day for refreshment. Cyclists reached the Czech capitol around six o'clock in the evening, satisfied and invigorated. "I will definitely do this again," said one participant, wiping sweat from his brow. "It feels good to honor the past and ride for the future."