A 70-year-old man and a friend are nearly finished with a cross-country bike ride: Ride Against the War on Gaza. As WAMC’s Samantha Simmons reports, the pair are riding to raise money to support peace efforts.
Bob Sanders began his ride across the country in San Francisco at the end of May and plans to wrap up this weekend. So far, he says he has raised nearly $20,000 for humanitarian aid and peace. Riding up to Albany’s West Capitol Park Thursday on a slim road bike with saddle bags strapped to both sides of the wheel and a paper plastered with a QR code asking for donations, Sanders is wearing a bright yellow cycling jersey with “RAW GAZA” across his chest.
Sanders, who is Jewish, says, ideally, he would like to raise $1 for every confirmed death as a result of the war.
A former journalist, Sanders says he wasn’t allowed to share his opinions on the conflict, but now, he feels its time.
“I was active before I was a reporter, and I kind of avoided this issue, and even with family and friends I basically ducked it because it was uncomfortable and I didn't want to believe that a Jewish nation would do, would be complicit, would-be perpetuating genocide,” Sanders said.
More than 62,000 people have died since Hamas attacked Israel and killed about 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped another 250 civilians and soldiers on October 7, 2023. Since then, more than 60,000 Gazans have been killed in Israel’s response to the initial attack. Sanders described the war as “genocide,” a position contested by the American Jewish Committee, among other groups.
Nearly 3,000 miles into his journey, Sanders says he has experienced boundless love. He says he packed a tent for the journey that he carries on the back of his bike, but has only used it once. He has been staying with cyclists who put up other cyclists doing long-haul rides. He recently stayed with an apolitical Mormon family.
“They asked, ‘Well, why are you doing this? I hear that Hamas is terrorist…’ and so forth. And that was after several days,” Sanders said. “They wouldn't talk about it and they said, and I told them, and they pretty much agreed with me, because, because at that time, they took the time to get to know me, and I wasn't some political person waving a flag. I was a human being.”
Sanders says he’s not what some may call a “Hamas fanatic,” he just disagrees with the Israeli government’s approach to peace.
Along the journey, Sanders has stopped to join protests, vigils, and other events protesting the war. He says he hopes people will learn from history and speak out against further harm against other Jewish people.
“It's not anti-Semitic to criticize Israel,” Sanders said.
Also riding with Sanders is Naor Deleanu. Deleanu joined Sanders shortly after he began his trek across the country. Thirty-two-year-old Deleanu says he has family in Israel, including a cousin who was close to a bomb drop.
“In real life, it's definitely, I think, more humanizing than the Internet,” Deleanu said. “Then arguing with people online. I'm not super hopeful about the near future, but I do hope that the policy eventually catches up to public opinion here, and that public opinion in Israel Palestine is not forever so dehumanizing. ”
He says the U.S.’ financial support of Israel is contributing to further escalations of the conflict. In March, the Trump administration signed an emergency declaration expediting the issuance of $4 billion in military assistance to Israel, according to the Department of State. Since January, Trump’s administration has approved nearly $12 billion in foreign military aid to Israel. In a meeting Wednesday with Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, Secretary of State Marco Rubio “reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.” The U.S. has given a fraction of that level of financial support to Palestine over many decades.
Sanders and Deleanu will bike to Western Massachusetts in the coming days and wrap up the trip in Concord, New Hampshire over the long weekend.
