0:00:12.400,0:00:15.400
Mountain biking in Israel

0:00:15.582,0:00:17.581
is something that I do with great passion

0:00:17.602,0:00:19.506
and commitment.

0:00:21.400,0:00:23.399
And when I'm on my bike,

0:00:23.400,0:00:25.399
I feel that I connect

0:00:25.400,0:00:28.399
with the profound beauty of Israel,

0:00:28.400,0:00:30.399
and I feel that I'm united

0:00:30.400,0:00:32.588
with this country's history

0:00:32.609,0:00:34.215
and biblical lore.

0:00:34.236,0:00:35.363
And also, for me,

0:00:35.384,0:00:38.037
biking is a matter of empowerment.

0:00:38.477,0:00:40.476
When I reach the summit

0:00:40.497,0:00:42.593
of a steep mountain[br]in the middle of nowhere,

0:00:42.614,0:00:44.497
I feel young,

0:00:45.081,0:00:47.706
invincible, eternal.

0:00:47.727,0:00:51.055
It's as if I'm connecting with some legacy

0:00:51.082,0:00:52.539
or with some energy

0:00:52.560,0:00:54.559
far greater than myself.

0:00:55.360,0:00:57.090
You can see my fellow riders

0:00:57.111,0:00:58.701
at the end of the picture,

0:00:58.722,0:01:01.336
looking at me with some concern.

0:01:01.357,0:01:03.356
And here is another picture of them.

0:01:04.399,0:01:07.128
Unfortunately, I cannot show their faces,

0:01:07.149,0:01:09.866
neither can I disclose their true names,

0:01:10.114,0:01:12.113
and that's because my fellow riders

0:01:12.134,0:01:15.763
are juvenile inmates, offenders

0:01:15.784,0:01:17.945
spending time in a correction facility

0:01:18.400,0:01:20.715
about 20 minutes' ride from here -

0:01:20.736,0:01:22.736
well, like everything in Israel.

0:01:23.225,0:01:25.707
And I've been riding[br]with these kids once a week,

0:01:25.728,0:01:28.727
every Tuesday, rain or shine,[br]for the last four years

0:01:28.748,0:01:31.747
and by now, they've become[br]a very big part of my life.

0:01:32.144,0:01:34.294
So that's the story I want to tell you.

0:01:34.380,0:01:37.379
This story began four years ago.

0:01:37.400,0:01:39.686
The correction facility[br]where they are locked up

0:01:39.706,0:01:41.399
happens to be right in the middle

0:01:41.400,0:01:43.399
of one of my biking trips,

0:01:43.400,0:01:45.399
and it's surrounded by barbed wires

0:01:45.400,0:01:48.372
and electric gates and armed guards.

0:01:50.069,0:01:53.069
One of these guards is actually[br]one of my students, also.

0:01:53.644,0:01:56.442
Everywhere I go,[br]I find one of my students.

0:01:57.600,0:01:59.127
So on one of these rides,

0:01:59.148,0:02:01.147
I talked my way into the compound

0:02:01.175,0:02:02.651
- you can understand how -

0:02:02.690,0:02:04.579
and went to see the warden.

0:02:06.800,0:02:08.364
I told the warden

0:02:08.364,0:02:11.799
that I wanted to start a mountain[br]biking club in this place

0:02:11.800,0:02:13.896
and that basically[br]I wanted to take the kids

0:02:13.916,0:02:16.081
from here to there.

0:02:16.800,0:02:18.799
And I told him, "Let's find a way

0:02:18.800,0:02:21.799
in which I'll be able to take out[br]10 kids once a week

0:02:22.600,0:02:24.956
to ride with in the summer[br]in the country."

0:02:24.977,0:02:26.976
And the warden was quite amused,

0:02:26.997,0:02:29.996
and he told me he thought that I was a nut

0:02:30.017,0:02:31.464
and he told me,

0:02:31.485,0:02:35.245
"This place is a correction facility.[br]These guys are serious offenders.

0:02:35.266,0:02:37.265
They are supposed to be locked up.

0:02:37.286,0:02:39.325
They aren't supposed to be out at large."

0:02:39.925,0:02:42.388
And yet, we began to talk about it,

0:02:42.409,0:02:44.408
and one thing led to another.

0:02:44.600,0:02:46.654
And I can't see myself

0:02:46.675,0:02:49.551
going into a state prison in New Jersey

0:02:49.600,0:02:51.599
and making such a proposition,

0:02:51.600,0:02:53.599
but this being Israel,

0:02:53.600,0:02:56.599
the warden somehow made it happen.

0:02:56.600,0:02:59.599
And so two months later,

0:02:59.600,0:03:03.599
we found ourselves "at large" -[br]myself,

0:03:03.600,0:03:06.079
10 juvenile inmates

0:03:06.100,0:03:08.099
and a wonderful fellow named Russ,

0:03:08.600,0:03:10.599
who became a very good friend of mine

0:03:10.600,0:03:12.599
and my partner in this project.

0:03:13.600,0:03:16.599
And in the next few weeks,[br]I had the tremendous pleasure

0:03:16.600,0:03:18.599
of introducing these kids

0:03:18.600,0:03:21.140
to the world of total freedom,

0:03:22.000,0:03:24.999
a world consisting of magnificent vistas

0:03:25.513,0:03:26.799
like these -

0:03:26.820,0:03:29.442
everything you see here[br]is obviously in Israel -

0:03:29.463,0:03:31.462
as well as close encounters

0:03:31.483,0:03:33.934
with all sorts of small creatures

0:03:34.434,0:03:36.433
coming in all sorts of sizes,

0:03:36.454,0:03:39.996
colors, shapes, forms and so on.

0:03:45.400,0:03:48.381
In spite of all this splendor,

0:03:49.400,0:03:52.152
the beginning was extremely frustrating.

0:03:52.173,0:03:55.823
Every small obstacle, every slight uphill,

0:03:56.800,0:03:58.382
would cause these fellows

0:03:58.403,0:04:01.402
to stop in their tracks and give up.

0:04:01.423,0:04:04.035
So we had a lot of this going on.

0:04:04.056,0:04:06.056
I found out that they had a very hard time

0:04:06.077,0:04:08.527
dealing with frustration[br]and difficulties -

0:04:08.548,0:04:10.430
not because they were physically unfit.

0:04:10.451,0:04:13.451
But that's one reason why[br]they ended up where they were.

0:04:14.037,0:04:16.688
And I became increasingly[br]more and more agitated,

0:04:16.709,0:04:18.353
because I was there

0:04:18.800,0:04:20.250
not only to be with them,

0:04:20.272,0:04:22.271
but also to ride and create a team

0:04:22.292,0:04:24.779
and I didn't know what to do.

0:04:24.800,0:04:26.552
Now, let me give you an example.

0:04:26.573,0:04:29.572
We're going downhill[br]in some rocky terrain,

0:04:29.593,0:04:31.885
and the front tire of Alex

0:04:31.906,0:04:34.179
gets caught in one of these[br]crevasses here.

0:04:34.272,0:04:36.203
So he crashes down,

0:04:36.224,0:04:38.223
and he gets slightly injured,

0:04:38.347,0:04:41.036
but this does not prevent[br]him from jumping up

0:04:41.057,0:04:43.391
and then starting to jump[br]up and down on his bike

0:04:43.661,0:04:45.306
and curse violently.

0:04:45.570,0:04:48.298
Then he throws his helmet in the air.

0:04:48.319,0:04:51.318
His backpack goes ballistic[br]in some other direction.

0:04:51.800,0:04:53.799
And then he runs to the nearest tree

0:04:53.800,0:04:56.799
and starts to break branches[br]and throw rocks

0:04:56.800,0:04:59.512
and curse like I've never heard.

0:04:59.593,0:05:02.592
And I'm just standing there,

0:05:02.712,0:05:04.133
watching this scene

0:05:04.154,0:05:06.153
with a complete disbelief,

0:05:06.174,0:05:08.220
not knowing what to do.

0:05:09.614,0:05:13.081
I'm used to algorithms and data structures

0:05:14.387,0:05:17.200
and super motivated students,

0:05:17.221,0:05:19.660
and nothing in my background

0:05:19.681,0:05:20.969
prepared me to deal

0:05:20.990,0:05:24.211
with a raging, violent adolescent

0:05:24.389,0:05:26.137
in the middle of nowhere.

0:05:26.158,0:05:28.254
And you have to realize[br]that these incidents

0:05:28.275,0:05:30.250
did not happen in convenient locations.

0:05:30.250,0:05:32.511
They happened in places like this,

0:05:32.532,0:05:34.531
in the Judean Desert,

0:05:34.816,0:05:37.815
20 kilometers away from the nearest road.

0:05:37.990,0:05:39.898
And what you don't see in this picture

0:05:39.898,0:05:42.087
is that somewhere[br]between these riders there,

0:05:42.087,0:05:43.918
there's a teenager sitting on a rock,

0:05:43.918,0:05:46.128
saying, "I'm not moving from here.[br]Forget it.

0:05:46.128,0:05:47.205
I've had it."

0:05:47.205,0:05:48.918
Well, that's a problem

0:05:48.939,0:05:51.938
because one way or another,[br]you have to get this guy moving

0:05:51.959,0:05:54.958
because it's getting dark soon[br]and dangerous.

0:05:58.980,0:06:02.799
It took me several such incidents[br]to figure out what I was supposed to do.

0:06:02.800,0:06:04.799
At the beginning, it was a disaster.

0:06:04.800,0:06:06.799
I tried harsh words and threats

0:06:06.800,0:06:08.799
and they took me nowhere.

0:06:08.800,0:06:10.799
That's what they had all their lives.

0:06:10.800,0:06:13.596
And at some point I found out,

0:06:16.000,0:06:18.254
when a kid like this gets into a fit,

0:06:18.580,0:06:20.579
the best thing that you can possibly do

0:06:20.600,0:06:24.255
is stay as close as possible to this kid,

0:06:24.600,0:06:26.599
which is difficult,

0:06:26.600,0:06:28.791
because what you really want to do[br]is go away.

0:06:28.811,0:06:30.599
But that's what he had all his life,

0:06:30.600,0:06:32.308
people walking away from him.

0:06:32.329,0:06:34.125
So what you have to do is stay close

0:06:34.146,0:06:37.459
and try to reach in and pet his shoulder

0:06:37.480,0:06:39.260
or give him a piece of chocolate.

0:06:40.855,0:06:44.295
So I would say, "Alex, I know[br]that it's terribly difficult.

0:06:44.800,0:06:46.799
Why don't you rest for a few minutes

0:06:46.800,0:06:47.946
and then we'll go on."

0:06:47.967,0:06:51.589
"Go away you maniac, psychopath.

0:06:51.610,0:06:54.610
Why would you bring us[br]to this goddamn place?"

0:06:55.387,0:06:58.386
And I would say, "Relax, Alex.

0:06:58.780,0:07:00.779
Here's a piece of chocolate."

0:07:00.800,0:07:02.799
And Alex would go, "Arrrrggg!"

0:07:02.800,0:07:04.799
Because you have to understand

0:07:04.800,0:07:07.039
that on these rides[br]we are constantly hungry -

0:07:07.059,0:07:09.275
and after the rides also.

0:07:10.561,0:07:13.560
And who is this guy, Alex, to begin with?

0:07:13.581,0:07:15.283
He's a 17-year-old.

0:07:15.304,0:07:16.703
When he was eight,

0:07:16.724,0:07:19.585
someone put him on a boat in Odessa

0:07:20.402,0:07:23.401
and sent him, shipped him to Israel

0:07:23.800,0:07:25.061
on his own.

0:07:25.082,0:07:27.081
And he ended up in south Tel Aviv

0:07:27.379,0:07:29.378
and did not have the good luck

0:07:29.569,0:07:31.568
to be picked up by Karen Tal,

0:07:32.200,0:07:34.199
and roamed the streets

0:07:34.200,0:07:36.838
and became a prominent gang member.

0:07:36.859,0:07:39.196
And he spent the last 10 years of his life

0:07:39.220,0:07:40.955
in two places only,

0:07:40.976,0:07:43.431
the slums and the state prison,

0:07:43.452,0:07:45.145
where he spent the last two years

0:07:45.166,0:07:47.669
before he ended up sitting[br]on this rock there.

0:07:48.414,0:07:52.604
And so this kid was probably abused,

0:07:53.652,0:07:56.527
abandoned, ignored, betrayed

0:07:56.548,0:07:58.547
by almost every adult along the way.

0:07:58.787,0:08:00.669
So, for such a kid,

0:08:00.690,0:08:04.024
when an adult that he learns[br]to respect stays close to him

0:08:04.129,0:08:05.730
and doesn't walk away from him

0:08:05.751,0:08:07.750
in any situation,

0:08:08.200,0:08:10.881
irrespective of how he behaves,

0:08:10.902,0:08:13.524
it's a tremendous healing experience.

0:08:13.545,0:08:16.544
It's an act of unconditional acceptance,

0:08:16.660,0:08:18.659
something that he never had.

0:08:18.800,0:08:22.156
And so I found out that's the way[br]to actually get close to them.

0:08:22.212,0:08:24.505
Just to be as close as you possibly can,

0:08:24.526,0:08:26.567
as close as you physically can

0:08:26.577,0:08:30.085
around this whirlpool of flying objects[br]that sometimes surrounds them.

0:08:30.443,0:08:32.873
I want to say a few words about vision.

0:08:33.799,0:08:36.799
When I started this program[br]four years ago,

0:08:37.600,0:08:39.802
I had this original plan

0:08:40.600,0:08:44.258
of creating a team of winning underdogs.

0:08:45.000,0:08:47.791
I had an image of Lance Armstrong

0:08:47.812,0:08:49.474
in my mind.

0:08:49.965,0:08:53.000
And it took me exactly two months

0:08:53.000,0:08:54.999
of complete frustration

0:08:55.000,0:08:58.468
to realize that this vision was misplaced,

0:08:59.000,0:09:00.739
and that there was another vision

0:09:00.760,0:09:02.759
supremely more important

0:09:02.780,0:09:05.304
and more readily available.

0:09:05.828,0:09:09.770
I have to tell you,[br]I met Hedy Schleifer almost 20 years ago,

0:09:10.336,0:09:14.815
and became a great fan of her[br]and an avid student of Hedy

0:09:15.728,0:09:18.313
and I think I learned[br]a few things from her.

0:09:18.980,0:09:21.979
It all of a sudden dawned on me,[br]in this project,

0:09:22.000,0:09:23.999
that the purpose of these rides

0:09:24.000,0:09:27.255
should actually be to expose the kids

0:09:27.650,0:09:30.081
to one thing only: love.

0:09:30.670,0:09:33.129
Love to the country, to the uphill

0:09:33.597,0:09:34.999
and the downhill,

0:09:35.294,0:09:37.999
to all the incredible[br]creatures that surround us -

0:09:38.000,0:09:41.340
the animals, the plants, the insects -

0:09:41.720,0:09:43.719
love and respect

0:09:44.000,0:09:46.148
to other fellow members in your team,

0:09:46.442,0:09:49.784
in your biking team, and most importantly,

0:09:50.000,0:09:51.999
love and respect to yourself,

0:09:52.000,0:09:55.395
which is something that they badly miss.

0:09:58.400,0:10:00.399
Together with the kids -

0:10:04.276,0:10:07.276
you know, we went through[br]all sorts of exciting experiences.

0:10:07.927,0:10:10.240
And, you know, in mountain biking,

0:10:11.101,0:10:14.226
it's very simple to develop self-esteem.

0:10:14.863,0:10:16.724
Just look at this picture here.

0:10:17.573,0:10:19.991
Which was taken, by the way, by Ran Navok

0:10:20.012,0:10:22.019
in one of our mutual rides.

0:10:22.077,0:10:23.997
This is Ein Akev,

0:10:24.601,0:10:26.302
the cliff above Ein Akev,

0:10:26.347,0:10:29.347
I [went] there two weeks ago,[br]with the kinds.

0:10:29.752,0:10:32.752
And it was full of water,[br]we swam, it was great.

0:10:34.347,0:10:36.450
I found out

0:10:39.379,0:10:42.315
that what I really had to do[br]with the kids, once again,

0:10:42.339,0:10:45.339
is to take them[br]to all these spectacular places

0:10:45.386,0:10:48.307
and share with them the love[br]that I and other bikers have

0:10:48.449,0:10:50.037
for the country.

0:10:50.180,0:10:51.394
Together with the kids,

0:10:51.429,0:10:54.379
I also went through a remarkable[br]transformation.

0:10:54.400,0:10:56.399
You know, I come from a cutthroat world

0:10:56.400,0:10:58.399
of science and high technology.

0:11:00.500,0:11:03.499
I used to think that reason and logic

0:11:03.500,0:11:05.499
and relentless drive

0:11:05.500,0:11:08.070
were the only ways to make things happen.

0:11:08.100,0:11:09.885
And before I worked with the kids,

0:11:09.906,0:11:11.905
anything that I did with them,

0:11:11.926,0:11:14.079
or anything that I did with myself,

0:11:14.100,0:11:16.099
was supposed to be perfect,

0:11:16.100,0:11:18.296
ideal, optimal,

0:11:18.811,0:11:22.218
but after working with them for some time,

0:11:22.932,0:11:25.931
I discovered the great virtues of empathy

0:11:25.952,0:11:27.951
and flexibility

0:11:27.972,0:11:30.694
and being able to start with some vision,

0:11:30.715,0:11:33.296
and if the vision doesn't work,[br]well nothing happened.

0:11:33.296,0:11:36.156
All you have to do is play with it,[br]change it a little bit,

0:11:36.156,0:11:39.006
and come up with something[br]that does help, that does work.

0:11:39.460,0:11:41.459
So right now, I feel more

0:11:41.480,0:11:43.479
like these are my principles,

0:11:43.500,0:11:46.870
and if you don't like them, I have others.

0:11:46.891,0:11:48.890
(Laughter)

0:11:48.911,0:11:51.911
(Applause)

0:11:54.532,0:11:57.541
And one of these principles is focus.

0:11:57.969,0:11:59.837
Before each ride

0:11:59.858,0:12:01.857
we sit together with the kids,

0:12:01.878,0:12:03.877
and we give them one word

0:12:03.898,0:12:06.126
to think about during the ride.

0:12:06.147,0:12:08.609
You have to focus[br]their attention on something

0:12:08.630,0:12:10.629
because so many things happen.

0:12:10.650,0:12:12.649
So these are words like "teamwork"

0:12:12.670,0:12:14.669
or "endurance"

0:12:14.690,0:12:16.791
or even complicated concepts

0:12:16.812,0:12:18.696
like "resource allocation"

0:12:18.717,0:12:21.194
or "perspective," a word[br]that they don't understand.

0:12:21.219,0:12:22.721
You know, perspective

0:12:22.742,0:12:24.741
is one of these critically important

0:12:24.762,0:12:26.585
life-coping strategies

0:12:26.606,0:12:29.605
that mountain biking can really teach you.

0:12:30.079,0:12:32.147
I tell the kids

0:12:32.854,0:12:36.196
when they struggle through some uphill

0:12:37.200,0:12:39.200
and feel like they cannot take it anymore,

0:12:39.220,0:12:42.199
it really helps to ignore[br]the immediate obstacles

0:12:42.200,0:12:44.199
and raise your head and look around

0:12:44.200,0:12:47.162
and see how the vista around you grows.

0:12:47.183,0:12:49.813
It literally propels you upwards.

0:12:49.834,0:12:51.749
That's what perspective is all about.

0:12:51.749,0:12:53.579
Or you can also look back in time

0:12:53.600,0:12:56.251
and realize that you've already conquered

0:12:56.272,0:12:58.759
steeper mountains before.

0:12:58.780,0:13:01.259
And that's how they develop self-esteem.

0:13:01.280,0:13:03.566
Now, let me give you[br]an example of how it works.

0:13:03.587,0:13:06.712
You stand with your bike[br]at the beginning of February.

0:13:06.733,0:13:09.958
It's very cold, and you're standing[br]in one of these rainy days,

0:13:09.979,0:13:13.576
and it's drizzling and cold and chilly,

0:13:14.657,0:13:17.454
and you're standing in,[br]let's say, Yokneam.

0:13:17.475,0:13:20.474
And you look up at the sky[br]through a hole in the clouds

0:13:20.495,0:13:23.763
you see the monastery[br]at the top of the Muhraka -

0:13:23.874,0:13:25.818
that's where[br]you're supposed to climb now -

0:13:25.839,0:13:28.838
and you say, "There's no way[br]that I could possibly get there."

0:13:29.010,0:13:31.183
And yet, two hours later

0:13:31.204,0:13:34.203
you find yourself standing[br]on the roof of this monastery,

0:13:34.842,0:13:37.986
smeared with mud, blood and sweat.

0:13:39.558,0:13:41.148
And you look down at Yokneam;

0:13:41.169,0:13:43.168
everything is so small and tiny.

0:13:43.350,0:13:46.597
And you say, "Hey, Alex. Look at this[br]parking lot where we started.

0:13:46.597,0:13:47.695
It's that big.

0:13:47.695,0:13:49.575
I can't believe that I did it."

0:13:49.676,0:13:51.491
And that's the point

0:13:51.512,0:13:53.512
when you start loving yourself.

0:13:55.680,0:13:57.412
And so we talked about

0:13:57.433,0:13:59.432
these special words that we teach them.

0:13:59.453,0:14:02.197
And at the end of each ride,[br]we sit together

0:14:02.218,0:14:03.792
and share moments

0:14:03.813,0:14:06.482
in which those special words of the day

0:14:06.503,0:14:08.502
popped up and made a difference,

0:14:08.732,0:14:10.731
and these discussions

0:14:10.752,0:14:12.292
can be extremely inspiring.

0:14:12.313,0:14:14.313
In one of them, one of the kids once said,

0:14:14.334,0:14:17.165
"When we were riding on this ridge

0:14:17.186,0:14:19.185
overlooking the Dead Sea -

0:14:19.700,0:14:22.115
and he's talking about this spot here -

0:14:22.136,0:14:23.695
"I was reminded

0:14:23.716,0:14:26.750
of the day when I left[br]my village in Ethiopia

0:14:26.771,0:14:29.314
and went away together with my brother.

0:14:29.358,0:14:31.357
We walked 120 kilometers

0:14:31.700,0:14:33.376
until we reached Sudan.

0:14:33.397,0:14:36.397
This was the first place where[br]we got some water and supplies."

0:14:36.418,0:14:39.397
And he goes on saying,[br]and everyone looks at him like a hero,

0:14:39.418,0:14:41.417
probably for the first time in his life.

0:14:41.700,0:14:44.699
And he says - because I also[br]have volunteers riding with me,

0:14:44.700,0:14:46.699
adults, who are sitting there

0:14:46.700,0:14:48.697
listening to him -

0:14:48.718,0:14:51.842
and he says, "And this[br]was just the beginning

0:14:51.863,0:14:55.699
of our ordeal until we ended up in Israel.

0:14:55.700,0:14:57.437
And only now," he says,

0:14:57.458,0:14:59.620
"I'm beginning to understand where I am,

0:14:59.700,0:15:01.294
and I actually like it."

0:15:01.477,0:15:03.286
Now I remember, when he said it,

0:15:03.307,0:15:05.080
I felt goosebumps on my body,

0:15:05.101,0:15:08.611
because he said it overlooking the Moab[br]Mountains here in the background.

0:15:08.611,0:15:10.979
That's where Joshua descended

0:15:11.000,0:15:12.999
and crossed the Jordan

0:15:13.000,0:15:15.999
and led the people of Israel[br]into the land of Canaan

0:15:16.000,0:15:18.639
3,000 years ago in this final leg

0:15:19.752,0:15:22.056
of the journey from Africa.

0:15:22.635,0:15:24.469
And so, perspective

0:15:24.490,0:15:27.992
and context and history play key roles

0:15:28.510,0:15:31.434
in the way I plan my rides with the kids.

0:15:32.019,0:15:34.018
We visit Kibbutzim

0:15:34.039,0:15:37.038
that were established[br]by Holocaust survivors.

0:15:37.507,0:15:40.820
We explore ruins of Palestinian villages,

0:15:42.965,0:15:45.964
and we discuss how they became ruins.

0:15:46.364,0:15:48.983
And we go through numerous remnants

0:15:49.004,0:15:51.174
of Jewish settlements,[br]Nabatic settlements,

0:15:51.195,0:15:53.126
Canaanite settlements -

0:15:53.147,0:15:55.146
three-, four, five-thousand years old.

0:15:55.690,0:15:57.283
And through this tapestry,

0:15:57.304,0:16:00.051
which is the history of this country,

0:16:00.690,0:16:02.813
the kids acquire

0:16:03.479,0:16:06.528
what is probably the most important[br]value in education,

0:16:06.528,0:16:09.526
and that is the understanding[br]that life is complex,

0:16:10.013,0:16:12.500
and there's no black and white.

0:16:13.115,0:16:15.114
And by appreciating complexity,

0:16:15.306,0:16:17.305
they become more tolerant,

0:16:17.544,0:16:20.291
and tolerance leads to hope.

0:16:22.967,0:16:25.311
I ride with these kids once a week,

0:16:25.500,0:16:27.353
every Tuesday.

0:16:28.100,0:16:31.100
Here's a picture I took last[br]Tuesday - less than a week ago -

0:16:31.339,0:16:33.652
this is in Nahal Zin, I stayed up,

0:16:33.736,0:16:36.578
asked them to go down [br]and took this picture,

0:16:36.757,0:16:38.466
and I ride with them tomorrow also,

0:16:38.474,0:16:42.154
which is also a Tuesday, and tomorrow[br]some of you guys are going to join me.

0:16:42.154,0:16:45.879
So it's going to be a mixed ride[br]of juvenile inmates

0:16:46.617,0:16:47.774
and TEDx guests.

0:16:47.911,0:16:50.442
And it's going to be[br]the experience of your lifetime.

0:16:51.400,0:16:53.299
In every one of these rides

0:16:53.320,0:16:56.885
I always end up standing[br]in one of these incredible locations,

0:16:58.280,0:17:00.989
taking in this incredible[br]landscape around me,

0:17:01.010,0:17:03.279
and I feel blessed and fortunate

0:17:03.680,0:17:05.299
that I'm alive,

0:17:05.300,0:17:07.299
and that I sense every fiber

0:17:07.300,0:17:09.299
in my aching body.

0:17:09.300,0:17:11.299
And I feel blessed and fortunate

0:17:11.300,0:17:12.674
that 15 years ago

0:17:12.694,0:17:14.611
I had the courage to resign

0:17:14.632,0:17:16.631
my tenured position at NYU

0:17:16.652,0:17:18.651
and return to my home country

0:17:18.672,0:17:20.671
where I can do these incredible rides

0:17:20.692,0:17:22.691
with this group of troubled kids

0:17:22.712,0:17:24.711
coming from Ethiopia

0:17:24.732,0:17:27.114
and Morocco and Russia.

0:17:27.482,0:17:29.481
And I feel blessed and fortunate

0:17:30.021,0:17:32.020
that every week, every Tuesday -

0:17:32.300,0:17:34.597
and actually every Friday also -

0:17:34.618,0:17:37.319
I can once again celebrate

0:17:37.340,0:17:39.962
in the marrow of my bones

0:17:39.983,0:17:43.506
the very essence of living[br]in Israel on the edge.

0:17:44.300,0:17:45.685
Thank you.

0:17:45.685,0:17:48.419
(Applause)