Today (Sunday), the Chicago Marathon is taking place, with a special team from OneFamily, an organization that supports bereaved families and victims of terrorism, among the tens of thousands of runners.
The team includes around 25 bereaved family members, including parents, widows and siblings of fallen soldiers and terror victims, alongside other runners who have chosen to join them and run in memory of those murdered. For the participants, the 42.2 kilometers through Chicago are far more than an athletic challenge. Each runner brings a personal story, someone they wish to commemorate and a long journey that has led them to this moment.
The team flew from Israel to Chicago on October 7, exactly three years after the terrorist attack. The symbolic date gave added meaning to a journey that connects remembrance and pain with the decision to keep moving forward. For the participants, running is also a way to carry their loved ones' memory to one of the world's largest sporting events and make their personal stories part of a shared journey.
For Gil Pazi, the father of Yogev Pazi, who fell in battle in northern Gaza in November 2024, taking part in the marathon is a way to continue his son's story. Yogev, who was 22 when he fell, spent a year volunteering in Chicago through the Jewish Agency, working with the city's Jewish community and building relationships that endured after his return to Israel.
"The moment I saw that it said Chicago, I knew I was signing up," Gil said.
During the months of training, Gil also found a sense of belonging and connection with others who had experienced similar losses.
"It was a process of reconnecting - connecting with people and with society, and understanding that we are not alone. For me, running is the means, not the goal," he said. "When I was asked what frightened me about running, I said that nothing about running frightens me. What frightens me is the day after, when this journey ends."
Preparations for the marathon began about five months ago and included group training sessions, long-distance runs, and physical and mental preparation for the challenge. Over the months, the team developed into a close-knit group, with personal bonds forming among people who had experienced loss under different circumstances but found common ground and an understanding that did not always require words.
Alongside improvements in fitness and progress in running distances, the training sessions became a space where participants could talk about longing and hardship, but also laugh, encourage one another and share moments of achievement.
"This team is much more than a running group," said Moshe Saville, CEO of OneFamily. "Behind every participant is a story of loss and longing, but throughout the months of training, we also saw the tremendous strength of the bonds that developed between them. People who arrived carrying personal pain found a group that understands them, encourages them and walks alongside them, even when the road is difficult."
"Running does not erase loss," Saville added, "but it makes it possible to find new strength, set goals and feel that it is possible to move forward without leaving the memory behind. The decision to set out on this journey specifically on October 7 and arrive together at the starting line in Chicago is, for us, a moving expression of life continuing alongside remembrance, and of the power of a community that stands by its members every step of the way."