Rabbi Ari Solomont thinks a bike is a perfect vehicle for raising money earmarked to benefit good causes. The Hashmonaim resident’s recently launched Cycle for Unity is in gear to revolutionize Jewish activism and philanthropy. Solomont rolled out this initiative to get young adults excited about connecting to Jewish charities through inspirational and challenging cycling adventures.Solomont says Cycle for Unity is the first-ever nonprofit organization utilizing physical fitness and leadership training to promote the culture of Jewish philanthropy. More than 130 riders from Israel, the US, Holland, the UK and Australia took part in the first series of rides in Israel during Passover.Registration for multi-day rides requires a commitment to raise $2,500 for a Jewish charity.“I’ve had the privilege of working with great Jewish organizations,” says Solomont. “Most organizations’ greatest need is fund-raising, and they hire fundraisers to go find the large donors. But because there are so many causes, donors are really inundated with requests. So I tried to address the fact that we need to bring more people into the fund-raising process as givers and getters.”He studied fund-raising models and discovered that experiential events such as marathons, bikeathons and walkathons tend to be very successful.“But I’m not a competitive person, and I didn’t want to negatively affect others’ efforts or recreate the wheel,” he explains. “I started thinking how to open up this model to a wider audience where everyone can benefit.”The result is Cycle for Unity, a “riders’ choice” model that allows people to participate in one ride for the benefit of any of several charities. There are about 40 formally involved now, but any legitimate nonprofit can join in at the suggestion of a rider.“A lot of adults like bike-riding, and these types of rides are the wave of the philanthropic future,” predicts Solomont. “Cycle for Unity has the potential to help lots of organizations in a way that doesn’t take away from any other initiative. If everyone participates together, people can learn about different organizations that are all doing good and important things – a cross-pollination that benefits everybody.”Approaching 10 people for a donation of $250 each is much more effective than writing a check for $2,500, he reasons. “You’ve just made 10 more people aware of the organization and why it is meaningful to you. That is more helpful in the long term.”Solomont is planning a 10-day Romanian bike trip this summer, rides during Succot, a December ride in Israel and a summer 2014 “Ride of My Life” through Jewish history-saturated European cities such as Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Krakow. Each adventure can accommodate between 25 and 40 cyclists.“It fits my personality, my approach to philanthropy – trying not just to do a mitzva but to get others involved, too,” says Solomont. “Our programs aren’t a ‘one-hit wonder.’ People have to work hard for a cause, and so they become passionate about it and get others to feel the same way.”He’d like to see Cycle for Unity as an optional activity for the vast Taglit- Birthright alumni program, NEXT, as an alternative to traditional Jewish programming.Solomont is targeting what he calls “kinesthetic Jews,” young adults who actively seek self-improvement and expression through a combination of physical challenges, community service, advocacy and philanthropy.“We accomplish this by combining incredible cycling experiences with advanced leadership training, moderated discussions on Jewish thought, guided tours of Jewish heritage sites and a profound emphasis on giving.”Solomont is a former nursing-home administrator in the Boston area, regional executive director for the Orthodox Union’s NCSY youth movement, and most recently director of Yeshiva University’s Israel program.Shortly after he, his wife and four children made aliya 10 years ago, he began working for Ner LeElef, a program that trains and places young rabbis to do outreach work all over the world. In the course of two and a half years in this position, he built up international contacts that came in handy when he began organizing Cycle for Unity in January 2012.“Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am most passionate about cycling, charity and Jewish education. In fact, it was only a matter of time before I found a way to combine them.”Cycle for Unity, he says, seeks to cultivate an international network of Jewish youth and professionals who are excited about personal growth and communal development. As a bornand- bred American, he finds it easiest to target English-speakers, though Israelis are always welcome to join in.“It’s not an exclusive program. It’s not an ideology, but a hope and a dream to have something that really reflects what our community is and be beneficial to everybody,” says Solomont. “There is so much that divides us, so if we can find something that unites us, it will really be Cycle for Unity.”
