April 1, 2005/Adar II 21 5765, Volume 57, No. 31
Road warriors
BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN
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 Members of a new Jewish motorcycle club gather with their bikes outside of the Calico Cow Cafe in Phoenix. They include, from left, Joel Rosen, Michael Knee, Warren Levenbaum, David Simkins, Geoff Trachtenberg, Jordan Meschkow, Marc Alexander, Allan Siegel, Bob Handelman, Steve Growe, Rudy Fraenkel and David Wasserman. Photo by Benjamin Leatherman |
Attorney Warren Levenbaum, an avid cyclist and staunch advocate of biker's rights, held the inaugural meeting of his currently unnamed Jewish motorcycle club on March 27 at the Calico Cow Cafe in Phoenix.
A dozen bikers turned out for the breakfast confab at the Central Phoenix eatery, swapping both stories and business cards, which Levenbaum said was his goal for the group - to bring together Jewish professionals who like to burn a little rubber on the side.
"In view of the popularity of motorcycling and the number of Jews that live in metro Phoenix, I felt it's about time we should mix them together," he says. "I had the idea for this about three years ago, but just never got around to it because I was too busy."
Future meetings will be held monthly, and the possibility exists for group rides around the Valley or to big-name gatherings like the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.
Levenbaum was pleased with the turnout, as bikers like Steve Growe, a 49-year-old branch manager for Allied Home Mortgage, were in attendance.
"For me, it was a chance to meet with other Jewish riders," says Growe, who brought his 1995 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail to the event. "We all have the same desires, and everybody wants to be within their own."
Similar sentiments were voiced by 46-year-old real estate agent David Simkins, who was looking for an alternate group to ride with when his primary club is unavailable.
Simkins said many real estate agents and other professionals like himself are also avid motorcycle enthusiasts because "we have the flexibility that most people working nine-to-five don't have."
While the club will not be voting on officers or their official name until the next meeting, such humorous possibilities as "Hells Bagels" and "The Putzing Putters" were tossed around. Growe said such inside jokes are another reason why he feels comfortable in this group.
"There's a thread of commonality here," says Growe. "The common denominator here is that we have the same ethnicity, the same religion, the same warped sense of humor."
But are there any good gags about Jewish bikers?
"Not yet," Levenbaum says. "But we'll invent them as we go along."
The club will hold its second meeting at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 17, at the Calico Cow Cafe, 8525 N, Central Ave., Phoenix. Call 602-271-0919.