(Courtesy of Kedma) Team Bnei Akiva-Kedma stepped up to support Israel’s south and stand in solidarity with the Bibas family on Friday, March 21 at the Ashkelon Run. It was an unseasonably cold and rainy day, with the threat of sirens and missiles punctuating daily Israeli life since the end of the ceasefire only days prior to the run. Although Team Bnei Akiva-Kedma runners had ample reasons to sit out this run, they showed up for Israel’s south and ran along Ashkelon’s coast with thousands of runners from all over Israel, including “Marathon Mother” runner Beatie Deutsch.
The Ashkelon run, which is held in memory of Netanel Moshiashvili, a Golani soldier who fell in 2012, is an annual event that is produced by the Ashkelon municipality and Moshiashvili’s family. A lesser known run than the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv marathons, the Ashkelon run attracts runners from all over Israel but does not have the international runners’ base that exists in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. In the aftermath of Oct. 7 and in light of the losses suffered by communities near Gaza, Team Bnei Akiva-Kedma ran in Ashkelon instead of Jerusalem this year as a show of unity with residents of the south. With the return of the bodies of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir a few weeks ago, this run took on additional meaning as the team chose to wear orange in memory of Shiri and her kids.
Kedma, an Israel-based nonprofit with the mission of connecting people all over the world to Israeli society through volunteering, and Bnei Akiva of the U.S. and Canada, the premier religious Zionist youth movement in North America, joined forces three years ago and have partnered on teams for the Jerusalem marathon over the last two years. Both Kedma and Bnei Akiva recognize the value of their joint team, both for the gap year students who make up a large part of the team and for the Israeli families and runners from abroad who fly in for the marathon each year.
Joining a marathon team run by two nonprofits imbues a special sense of purpose within the Team runners: by joining Team Bnei Akiva-Kedma, these runners are supporting both Kedma and Bnei Akiva’s work to strengthen Israel, and are bolstering the Israeli cities through which they run. As Ron Siesser from Teaneck, who flew in to run with his daughter, Atara, a shana aleph students at Aish, said, “We are here today running the 10K and are supporting Bnei Akiva, Kedma, and are wearing orange in memory and in solidarity with the Bibas family. It is going to be a meaningful day.” An added benefit of joining Team Bnei Akiva-Kedma has also been the special volunteer opportunities available to team runners, which have included volunteering in hospitals and preparing care packages for sick children.
Orit Barnea Seif, Kedma’a director, shared, “We realized that our runners had the opportunity to maximize their impact in Ashkelon. We knew that our team’s presence would be felt and appreciated at a smaller run that does not usually attract large groups. Seeing so many members of Team Bnei Akiva-Kedma running along the Ashkelon coast in their orange shirts in memory of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas was truly inspirational.” An added boon was that a number of other nonprofit teams, such as Team HASC, Yachad, Darkaynu, Koach Eitan, Keren Or and Just One Chesed, joined Team Bnei Akiva-Kedma in Ashkelon as a unity run, which boosted the run’s numbers, making 2025 the largest Ashkelon run to date.
The choice to run in Ashkelon in 2025 aligns with the civic minded mission of Team Bnei Akiva-Kedma — to strengthen their runners’ connection to Israel and support Israeli society — which is a unique element of this team. It is Team Bnei Akiva-Kedma’s call to action that was a motivating force underlying their runners’ commitments to running in Ashkelon, even under less than ideal conditions. As team member Gila Klibanoff from Livingston, who is a shana bet students at MTVA expressed, “Thank you to Team Bnei Akiva-Kedma for giving us the opportunity to make this run even more meaningful, helping us support the south, donning us in orange in honor of the Bibas family, and showing us what it means to be a part of the Jewish people in a truly meaningful way.” Team Bnei Akiva-Kedma painted Ashkelon orange this past Friday, leaving the city’s residents feeling both supported and loved as difficult days lay ahead.
To learn more, visit kedma.org and bneiakiva.org
