Some 200 motorcyclists will descend on Skokie, Ill. on Friday, June 11 in commemoration of the Holocaust.

The bikers, members of affiliate clubs of the international Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance, are staging their sixth annual Ride to Remember (R2R). They are raising monies for the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center’s Opportunity Grants fund to provide field trip transportation, meals and materials to schools that otherwise could not afford to visit the museum. The event will span three days from June 10-12.

Skokie was the location in 1978 of an attempt by neo-Nazis to march through a Jewish neighborhood. Residents showed solidarity in opposition to the racist attempt to ignite trouble. Robert Bielski, son of Tuvia Bielski, leader of the Bielski Brigade, (which fought the Nazis from the forests of Byelorussia) will give the keynote address at 7:45 at the Doubletree Hotel in Skokie.

This event is open to all Jewish motorcyclists. For more information, visit www.ride2remember.com or www.jewishbikers.com.

The St. Louis Jewish Motorcycle group – the  WanderingTwos – will be attending the JMA convention and riding to Skokie on Thursday June, 10 at 9 a.m. To join the St. Louis contingent, contact Steve at [email protected].