Five Towns comes together to run for Beit Halochem

With a blast of a horn, the serious contestants surged forward, their sneakered feet slamming into the pavement as they curved out of North Woodmere Park and veered right onto Branch Boulevard.

The rest of the registrants either jogged, race-walked, walked briskly or just walked on the five kilometer (3.1 mile) route for the 5 Towns 5K Run/Walk held Sunday for the Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans-Beit Halochem Centers in Israel.

Now in its third year, the run/walk brought 630 participants together to raise awareness and funds for FIDV. The first year 200 attended and last year over 500 came to North Woodmere Park and the streets of North Woodmere. The scattered run/walkers wound through the empty streets with auxiliary police cars and police and volunteers’ vans and volunteers blocking side streets until the end of the race. Children and adults handed out cups of water to the participants. A cross section of the Jewish community, men, women and children, some in strollers, some on parent’s shoulders, followed the course, smiling, talking, laughing.

“It’s nice that the whole Jewish community comes together,” noted Eli Dworetsky. “It’s a way for the community to support the soldiers and Israel and come together.”

FIDV in the U.S. and Beit Halochem in Israel help provide therapeutic and recreational activities for Israeli servicemen and women who were wounded in the line of duty and are now disabled. Over 51,000 disabled war veterans sacrificed much for Israel’s independence and survival. The goal of the organization is to help these veterans to reenter their lives with meaning, dignity, and to the best of their abilities. The five centers in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Beer Sheva and Nahariya have over 12,000 active members. The first rest and convalescence center opened in 1958. They offer physical therapy, medical treatment, social, family and cultural activities and sports.

“Beit Halochem takes care of the people who fought for Israel,” said Isaac Seinuk of North Woodmere, the event organizer, noting that they took care of Israel and now we have to take care of them. Noting that there is Yom Hazikaron to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, Seinuk said, “there is no day to thank those who are permanently disabled. They live with their injuries the rest of their lives. We are almost required to do everything we can to help these people. They made a huge sacrifice, not the ultimate sacrifice.”

Seinuk said he “discovered” Beit Halochem when he was looking for an extended bike ride in Israel. He was unable to find one that fit his schedule until he saw an ad for a bike ride before Rosh Hashana supporting this organization. Seinuk is an avid bike rider and has completed three 350-mile bike rides in the last four years. He signed on and had a difficult time explaining to his sponsors what they were sponsoring, since he was not sure at the time what Beit Halochem was. When he rode in Israel on the bike ride with the disabled veterans, some on hand bikes because they couldn’t use their legs or some riding with other riders because they were blind, he said he thought, “how can such an organization be so invisible when every organization and charity has a foothold and I never heard of this? I befriended a whole bunch of them. I felt strongly that I wanted to do something.”

His first effort to raise money and awareness was a small basketball tournament between the Beis Haknesses of North Woodmere and the Young Israel of North Woodmere. He noted that the two shuls are very connected and he credits the shuls’ rabbis with that camaraderie. “It was really good,” he said. “We had a second one since then.” Seinuk felt it wasn’t enough. He had an “idea to set up something for more to participate” and thought of a 5K race in the Five Towns “to raise awareness even more than funds and have a good time doing it.” He pointed out that they “barely raise one percent of their overall charitable income” but they have “touched a lot of people. The level of recognition has gone up in the last three years.”

He emphasized that the “philosophy of Beit Halochem is rehabilitation through sport, so bringing awareness through sport fits with their philosophy.”

“I call it a run/walk,” he said, “It’s inviting to people and they do it to support the cause at the same time. Some have a competitive impulse and try to come in first or beat the time they had last year. Some have the motivation for exercise. It touches people on a lot of different levels.”

“Everyone is having such a good time,” he said. “I don’t think you see that look at a dinner. At an event like this everyone is happy.” He pointed out that at the kids’ Fun Run held a half hour before the race there was a “stampede of about 60 kids. It was really something. Kids sprint. It’s very funny. It’s a great thing to see.”

Seinuk noted that there were many other events in the area that drew attention from the race, including two similar walks for charities, but many still came. “One of the most exciting things was the cars coming into the park,” he recalled. “It was like rush hour traffic.”

The oldest entrant in the race was William Benson, age 92, of Valley Stream, who completed the race in 53 minutes, 370th place. The two youngest were eight years old. The female winner was Shari Klarfeld of Plainview, who is a “prominent Jewish runner on Long Island,” pointed out Seinuk. “She wins many races.” Her time was 19 minutes 14.78 seconds. Dmitri Krasny of Far Rockaway was the male winner. His time was 18 minutes 15.83 seconds. A dog ran in the race but he was not officially entered.

“These are really, really important to us,” said Amy Frame, operations manager for FIDV-Beit Halochem in New York. The races “not only raise the profile of the organization, the best kept secret in the Jewish community, but it’s a great use of sports to fund a sports program for the veterans. It’s a common interest between those who raise funds and those training for sports in Israel. They participate in Paralympics; also it’s just fun, a sense of community. It’s easier to feel that you are doing something good when you are doing it with other people.”

“The centers use sports to help the disabled stay motivated and make it through rehab,” Frame explained. “It’s easier if they have a goal, if they are doing something for fun. Being on a team gives them a sense of camaraderie and makes them feel less isolated.”

Frame said that the Beit Halochem centers are sending three athletes to the Paralympics in London, held at the same time as the regular Olympics--a tennis player and a two person sailing team. The tennis player lost the use of his legs and competes in a high performance titanium wheelchair. One of the sailors, both are disabled, was injured while trying to rescue hostages during the Lebanon War.

Beit Halochem in Israel also welcomed United States veterans from the Wounded Warriors program. “They bonded,” said Frame. “They have the same issues. It’s difficult for anybody. The U.S. vets have similar injuries and an uphill battle.”

Members of Beit Halochem range from Israel’s War of Independence through the wars of ’56, ‘73, terrorism, till now. The veterans help each other and draw strength from each other as well.

The goal of raising awareness for Beit Halochem has succeeded. I hope to do it again next year,” said Seinuk. “People like it. When people stop liking it I’ll stop doing it.”

For more information go to www.fidv.org.