Cycalive: Riding for Tolerance in South Africa

Cycalive is bicycle ride from Johannesburg to Durban, which takes five days. The expedition is the initiative of Rabbi Dovid Hazdan, Head of the Torah Academy Orthodox Jewish school in Johannesburg, who 21 years ago recruited partners from the black community to a project that is intended to nurture among teens appreciation for multiculturalism and acceptance of the other. Torah Academy students and African students from the Moletsane High and Pace College schools ןמ Soweto participate in the ride. Participation by Israeli high school students from the Partnership region is an additional aspect of the meeting of cultures that the project invites. During each stage of Cycalive a few students ride and the others accompany them in a bus. During the week the students volunteer in various institutions and with various needy populations. They are accompanied by professional staff from the different schools including a P2G volunteer from Israel. The Shabbats before and after the ride are spent getting to know the Jewish community in Johannesburg and Durban, an additional element of the program.