While the conflict continues in the Middle East, the Roslyn community has vowed to keep the remaining hostages held by Hamas at the forefront. For the past several Sundays, the community has been meeting up for a walk / run in honor and remembrance of these hostages.
Heralded by David Ozer, the community has joined under a broader organization, Run for Their Lives. The organization connects local communities to meet once a week in a designated location in the neighborhood. The walks last for 18 minutes, in reference to chai, the Hebrew word for life, and also the word for the number 18. Ozer was first inspired when he attended a walk with his family in Westport. “I felt really moved by it. I reached out to Brian right afterward and said ‘I think this is something we should really do,’ and he ran with it.”
The Brian he is referring to, Brian Meyerson, is a trustee for the Village of East Hills. Meyerson was eager to see Roslyn host its own Run for Their Lives event. “With all of the antisemitic rhetoric that’s been out there, and especially with the violent encampments that we’ve seen out there on campuses and universities, we wanted to show the world, and most importantly the families of the 133 hostages, that we have not forgotten about them, and we are praying for their immediate safe return and release,” Meyerson said. “We wanted to show that Jews have to band together, and show the world that we are together and that we are fighting for what is right.”
East Hills first walk was held May 5 and attended by hundreds of people, including diverse members of the community, local rabbis, and even AJ Edelman, a member of the Israeli bobsledding team.
For one member of the community, Carmit Rozenvig, these marches have meant so much more than a weekly walk. Rozenvig, a native of Israel, moved here 13 years ago. “It’s a beautiful place here, and a safe place, an amazing place to raise kids,” she said. But it was also true that Rozenvig felt a bit misunderstood by her town. “There was always a big gap between how we were raised [in Israel] and the mentality and everything, and how it is here.” But everything has changes for Rozenvig since the first East Hills walk. “The amount of support this community showed, I’ve never experienced ever,” she explained. “I would never have guessed in my life that this is how they could come together and raise awareness for the hostages, and show their support.”
Rozenvig reiterated the true meaning of the walks. “The fact that the hostages are still [detained], and the fact that we keep this walk, it’s pretty much raising an awareness for people who are moving on with their lives. And that’s fine, you should be moving on with your life. But you should also acknowledge that people are still being hels against their will, in tunnels with no daylight, for more than seven months now. This is not about the Israel and Gaza war, this is about hostages.”
Walks will be ongoing every Sunday. Walks start at 10:15 am at the Village of East Hills Park, right by the theatre. The distance is approxmately 1 mile. Readers interested in attending can learn more by visiting r4tlroslyn on Instagram, or by reaching out to Carmit Rozenvig via her facebook. Readers interested in learning more about Run for Their Lives can go to https://run4lives.org/
