created at: 2012-01-10January 10, 2012 — Jewish National Fund (JNF) and Friends of the Arava Institute will honor Needham resident Howie Rodenstein for his outstanding community involvement, dedication to the cause of American-Israeli friendship, and his devotion to peace and security at a Guardian of Israel Reception on Thursday, February 2 at Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley. The evening program begins with a cocktail reception at 6:00 pm.

“We are honored to be presenting Howie the Guardian of Israel Award”, shared Sharon Freedman, JNF National Campaign Director.  “He is an active and dedicated philanthropist, committed to the People and Land of Israel”.    

Howie is a native of Worcester, Massachusetts. His leadership in the Jewish community dates from early involvement in Camp Young Judaea as a counselor and extended to help co-create the 8th Grade Israel Study Tour for Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston.

Howie is also a founder of the Arava Institute-Hazon Israel Ride. In 2002, inspired by the coexistence work of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Howie envisioned an initiative that combined three of his passions: Zionism, biking, and helping great causes. In May 2003, Howie led 34 riders on the first Arava Institute-Hazon Israel Ride. Nine years later, Howie has led more than 800 riders to Israel, netting over $2.5 million.

Tickets for the Guardian of Israel Reception are $218 per person. All funds raised in Howie’s honor will support the Friends of the Arava Institute.

For more information or to make a reservation, contact Sara Hefez at shefez@jnf.org or 617-423-0999, ext. 811.

This post has been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content are presented solely by the author, and JewishBoston assumes no responsibility for them. Want to add your voice to the conversation? Publish your own post here. MORE