Olim ‘do life’ while remembering fallen soldiers

Rather than holding a sombre ceremony to commemorate lives lost on 7 October, about 100 olim ran along the Tel Aviv Promenade in memory of fallen South African and Australian soldiers. 

Australian oleh Rami Tal’s Rutz Club in Tel Aviv partnered with Telfed for a memorial run honouring 12 fallen soldiers with South African and Australian connections. Along with the remembrance, the run was also about life, bringing together people from around the world who’ve chosen to make Israel their home. 

Tal, whose mother hails from South Africa, moved from Australia to Tel Aviv in June 2022, initially working in high tech. He moved into food content through his online presence, Cooking with Rami, and hosting private dinner parties. 

Spending time in Australia following 7 October, he noticed the popularity of social running clubs there and realised Tel Aviv lacked similar casual, community-focused running groups, with existing clubs catering more to serious runners. 

So, he started Rutz Club, which runs 5km along the Tel Aviv Tayelet at 07:00 every Thursday and has grown from one or two runners to a group of about 150 who come every week, many of them olim. Although Rutz Club was never intended as a gathering of olim, it has turned out to be a soft landing for them. 

“The number of stories I hear and the number of people I meet who decide to come to Rutz Club as their first destination when they make aliya is amazing. They know it’s a place that’s welcoming and where they’ll be able to make friends,” said Tal. “I’ve met so many people whose lives have changed because of the running club, meeting other people, having a place to go for Shabbat dinner. Just finding their community. So even though it wasn’t the goal, it very much became where olim found a home. It’s also a great way for them to meet Israelis because you don’t interact with Israelis intimately every day, and this was definitely one of the places that mixed the two groups together.” 

Tal explained that communal events like the memorial run, and the ordinary weekly runs, are important because they signify what his Israeli friends mean when, instead of saying, “Have a good day” or “See you later” when saying goodbye, they say, “La’asot chaim”, “Do life”. 

“I think that sums up why this is so important. Yes, we need to be sad and reflect, but we also need to continue living. Bringing 100 people together at 07:00, waking up early, choosing to be active, and choosing to be outside, is very much choosing to live. That’s why I think this run was so important – it was about embracing la’asot chaim,” said Tal. 

As well as going for the run, everyone in the club goes for a dip in the Mediterranean. “We have a little slogan, ‘Run, dip, sip’. We go for a run, have a dip in the water, and then grab a coffee together. It’s a nice social gathering once a week, focused on doing something a little healthier than going out and partying.” 

So, when Telfed was looking for a way to commemorate 7 October and honour fallen soldiers with South African and Australian connections, while bringing people together and reminding them why they choose to live in Israel, partnering with Tal and Rutz Club was a natural fit. 

“As a community organisation, we’re seeing more and more young people choosing to make Israel their home,” said Telfed chairperson Maish Isaacson. “There’s something incredibly powerful about coming together, celebrating life, and recognising that together, we can heal and move forward. 

“We owe so much to our soldiers, those still defending us and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We have a responsibility to keep their memories alive, to speak about who they were and what they stood for. Partnering with Rami and Rutz Club allowed us to honour them by embracing the life and the country they fought to protect,” said Isaacson. 

Tal had already wanted to do a commemoration run, since one of his friends, Benjamin Lazarus, was related to fallen soldier Daniel Perez. “It really just made sense to commemorate the lives we lost, to celebrate them as well through moving and community and being in the holy land,” said Tal. 

The run honoured 12 fallen soldiers with South African or Australian connections, Captain Daniel Perez, killed at the Nahal Oz military post on 7 October; Major Sa’ar Margolis, Staff Sergeant Adam Agmon, and Staff Sergeant Regev Amar, who were all killed fighting at Kibbutz Kissufim on 7 October; and Staff Sergeant Shoam Ben Harush, who died of wounds suffered on 7 October. It also commemorated Captain Yaron Eliezer Chitiz, Captain Eyal Mevorach Twito, Master Sergeant (res.) Ido Aviv, Sergeant First Class (res.) Nitai Metodi, Staff Sergeant Zamir Burke, Staff Sergeant Netanel Pessach, and Staff Sergeant Moshe Shmuel Noll, all of whom fell during the war. 

The runners got to hear words from Lazarus about Perez, as well as words from Debbie Chitiz, the mother of South African fallen soldier Yaron. 

“We began with a commemoration, where I said a few words and read out the names of the fallen soldiers with connections to South Africa and Australia and Telfed. We acknowledged not only those who had fallen, but also the soldiers who’ve spent so much time serving in the reserves and the impact the war has had on everyone,” said Tal. 

“Debbie and Benjamin spoke and shared some beautiful words about their loved ones before we set off on the run. Usually, we play upbeat music, but that morning we played beautiful Hebrew music instead.” 

Isaacson said, “The energy that morning was extraordinary. There was enormous respect and gratitude for our soldiers and fallen heroes, but also this incredible sense of resilience, unity, and love for Israel. Seeing so many people, especially young people, running together and celebrating life in this amazing, vibrant country was a powerful reminder of why we’re here and what we’re determined to protect.” 

Café Xoho in Tel Aviv donated breakfast and drinks for everyone after the run. People stayed, ate together, and spent time with one another. “There was just this beautiful sense of togetherness,” Tal explained.