A group of Jewish motorcycle enthusiasts gathered at the Arizona Jewish Historical Society (AZJHS) early on Monday, June 30. Five men, clad in jeans, matching t-shirts and black vests, their Harley Davidson and Honda motorcycles parked neatly in a row, were there to present a gift to the upcoming Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center, a day before setting off for Los Angeles to complete one leg of a cross-country ride memorializing the Holocaust.
Max Heeres, the Israeli-American president of the Lost Tribe of Arizona motorcycle club, was there, fairly fresh off his ride from rendezvousing with a New Mexico club.
“We met the Kosher Hogs of Albuquerque club yesterday up in Springerville, had a nice little ride in the mountains with them, before they handed us the ‘Circle of Chai’ to bring down here,” Heeres told the small crowd.
He held up a replica of the Circle of Chai statue, an imperfect circle reflecting the Jewish people’s survival through the centuries, before presenting a replica of the artwork to Rabbi Jeffrey Schesnol, project manager of the new Holocaust education center.
“This piece symbolizes the story of the Jewish people. It is cracked in many places, but it is never broken. That is our story,” Heeres said…