I had the honor last month to lead the first Henderson, NV Run For Their Lives (R4TL) group on a walk to bring attention to the fact that hostages continue to remain captive in Gaza. As of this writing there are subsequent walks planned for each Sunday until all the hostages are released.
R4TL is an international global initiative that was established shortly after the tragic events of October 7. The movement was started by a group of Israelis in the San Francisco Bay Area in collaboration with the Hostage and Missing Families Forum (#BringThemHomeNow) which now boasts over 200 groups worldwide.
The mission is to bring awareness about the situation of hostages through weekly walks and runs.
Our initial walk included 18 participants that live both locally and as far away as Summerlin and even Pahrump. Yes, it was darn hot and many of us are not as spry as we once were.
However thinking of the hostages in the tunnels for more than 21 months, thinking of the families waiting to see their loved ones again or even hoping to receive the remains of the deceased so they can provide a proper burial spurred us on.
This is not a Jewish movement. It is simply decent human beings of all backgrounds reminding us of the plight of the hostages and their families.
There is one man in India that walks alone each week. There are three folks in Rome and large groups in Dusseldorf and Nuremburg, Germany as well as dozens of groups all across the U.S.
Compassionate people know it is inhumane to hold anyone in torturous captivity for 650+days. In 1979 when 66 Americans were held captive in Iran, I do not recall anyone asking what religion they were. Every American was outraged regardless of whether they were Jew or Gentile.
The current situation in Gaza should garner no less attention and outrage from everyone. Of course, we know that is not the case.
Even on our walk, one driver saw fit to holler out “F*&# Israel.” Once again, when it comes to Jews, the attitude is different and the fact that Israel is home to Christians and Muslims as well as Jews has no meaning to the antisemites.
I can only pray that by the time this article is published, every last hostage (living and deceased) is released, and I will be planning a celebration walk that the ordeal has finally come to an end.
