A delegation of 50 Israelis, including 25 bereaved parents, widows and siblings, ran the Chicago Marathon on Sunday in memory of loved ones killed in war and terrorist attacks.
The OneFamily delegation flew from Israel on Oct. 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas-led massacre, following five months of training. Several runners carried Israeli flags and banners bearing photographs of those they lost.
Among the runners was Gil Pazy, whose son IDF Capt. Yogev Pazy, 22, was killed fighting in northern Gaza in November 2024.
Before his military service, Yogev spent 2020-21 in Chicago as a Jewish Agency emissary, teaching Hebrew at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Metropolitan Chicago and the Shir Hadash Synagogue and helping establish the city’s first Israeli Scouts troop.
“The moment I saw it said Chicago, I knew I was signing up,” his father said.
“It was a process of reconnecting: to people, to society, and to understanding that we are not alone. For me, the running is the means, not the goal,” added Gil.
Israel’s consul general in Chicago, Elad Strohmayer, hosted the delegation at his residence on the eve of the race, where members of the local Israeli community met with the families.
“It was such a moving evening, hearing the stories of the bereaved families,” said Strohmayer. “Thank you for bringing these incredible people, who show us that the people of Israel is ‘OneFamily.’ All of us together, right and left, religious and secular, kibbutzniks and settlers, it doesn’t matter. We are all here together, one family. Tomorrow, these runners, carrying Israeli flags and photos of their loved ones, will make the State of Israel very proud.”
OneFamily, founded in 2001 by Chantal and Marc Belzberg, provides counseling, therapy and financial assistance to bereaved families and victims of terrorism and other hostilities in Israel.
