Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance
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Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance (JMA) is an umbrella organization for Jewish motorcycle clubs. The JMA's affiliate clubs consist of official, organized motorcycle riding clubs with JMA membership criteria[1]. A member club designates a delegate to serve on the JMA Council.
The JMA is the home of Jewish motorcyclists from around the world. The JMA is a worldwide association of Jewish motorcycle clubs that upon its formation included organized groups in the United States, Canada and Australia, representing nearly 600 Jewish motorcycle enthusiasts. The common thread is the religion; however membership or admittance to the member clubs is not dictated by faith or brand of motorcycle: riders of any denomination or brand of bike are welcome.
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[edit] History
A meeting was set up by the leader of Semites on Bikes (SOB) and President of the Chai Riders, and took place at Mike's Famous Harley Davidson in Delaware on October 3rd, 2004. Members of the Chai Riders (metro NY), Hillel’s Angels (NJ), The Tribe (DC, VA, MD and environs), Yidden on Wheels (Toronto), the King David Bikers (South FL) and the SOB (Semites On Bikes of Baltimore, MD, VA, NY, AZ, CO and environs) were present. Although it was planned as just a "Meet and Greet", from that meeting grew the concept of the first Ride to Remember (R2R), honoring the anniversary of the freedom from the death camps in Europe. The event took place in Washington, DC, in May of 2005 under the auspices of the newly named Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance (JMA).
At that time, the JMA was merely an acronym for an organization that existed in name and spirit, but not in body. During the early part of 2006, the JMA became a reality with five of the original founding clubs, having grown to ten, with the addition of The Sabra Riders (Atlanta); The Chai Riders (Detroit); The Chaiway Riders (Chicago); Or Tikva (Chicago); and YOW (Australia), and the adoption of a Charter & By-laws for defining the guidance for the conduct of JMA business for current and future members. The Chais of Texas, the Chai Riders MC of Arizona, the Six Point Riders of So. Florida, the Montreal Maccabees, the Seattle Tribe, the Motorcycle Club of Israel, the Star of David Bikers of Philadelphia, and Ohio's Dayton Sons of Israel have since joined and are the newest member clubs.
The R2R has become the unofficial de facto defining event for the JMA and will occur annually at a venue to be selected by the JMA’s governing council.
R2R 2006 was held in Whitwell, TN, to honor the staff and students of its middle school for their efforts in the world-renowned Paper Clip project. R2R 2007 was held in New York City in May, 2007. In May of 2008, we rode to Omaha, Nebraska for the "Illuminating the Past to Protect the Future" event in support of the Heartland Holocaust Education Fund (HHEF).
[edit] Philosophy
"As individuals, we share the fundamental passion to ride motorcycles, but we are drawn to each of our own clubs by our common faith and heritage as members of the Jewish faith.
The common thread is our religion, regardless of the degree and manner in which we choose to observe the Jewish faith. The admission of a prospective club for membership into the JMA is not predicated upon the degree to which the members of a Jewish club observes or practices the Jewish faith, or by the brands of motorcycles that its members may ride."
[edit] Mission
The mission of the Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance, and by extension the Yahoo Groups forum[2] is to create a global internet environment whereby members of the Jewish faith who ride motorcycles can congregate to share and exchange ideas and opinions about matters of concern to the Jewish community at large, as well as issues specifically concerning motorcycles and motorcycle riding.
[edit] References
- ^ specified in the JMA Charter & By-laws, section 5
- ^ JewishBikersWorldwide (referred to as the JBW)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Member Clubs
as of February 21, 2008:
- Chai Riders Motorcycle Club (http://www.chairiders.org) - New York City, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey, Connecticut
- Chai Riders MC - Phoenix, AZ
- Chai Riders (http://www.detroitchairiders.com) - Detroit, Michigan
- Chaiway Riders (http://www.chaiwayriders.com) - Chicago, Il
- Dayton Sons of Israel (http://www.daytonsonsofisrael.com/) - Dayton, Ohio
- Hillel's Angels (http://www.hillelsangels.org) - New Jersey
- Israel Motorcycle Club (http://www.motorcycle.org.il) - Israel
- Jews that Cruise - Pittsburgh, PA
- King David Bikers of South Florida (http://www.kingdavidbikers.com) - South Florida
- Lions of Judea (http://www.LionsOfJudea.org) - Fort Lauderdale
- Montreal Maccabees - Montreal
- Or Tikvah Riders - Gurnee, Il
- Sabra Riders (http://www.sabrariders.com) - Atlanta, Ga
- Six Point Riders (http://www.sixpointriders.com) - South Florida, Boca Raton
- Star of David Bikers (http://www.starofdavidbikers.org) - Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey, Delaware
- The Chais of Texas (http://www.chaisoftexas.com) - Texas (Dallas, Houston, Austin
- The Tribe Motorcycle Club (http://www.thetribemc.com) - Northern Virginia, Washington DC, and parts of Maryland
- The Tribe Motorcycle Club (http://www.seattletribe.com) - Seattle, WA
- Yidden on Wheels / Yowies (http://www.yowmtc.com) - Toronto, Canada
- Yidden on Wheels / Yowies (http://www.yowaustralia.com) - Australia
- Yids on Bikes UK (http://www.yidsonbikes.co.uk) - London, United Kingdom
