Local run pays tribute to fallen IDF soldier Maj. Ilay Zisser
War in Israel affects millions, Running with Zisser is chance to know one
Running clears the mind, yet Pittsburghers are using it to preserve a memory.
On Aug. 4, athletes, joggers and walkers will gather at Frick Environmental Center for a trot around Clayton Loop. The run is in memory of Maj. Ilay Zisser, who died on Oct. 7 in Kfar Aza.
Located about 3 miles from Gaza, the southern Israeli kibbutz was overwhelmed when terrorists broke through a security fence and mercilessly attacked. Of Kfar Aza’s nearly 700 residents, about 60 were murdered, The Times of Israel reported.
On Oct. 7, Zisser was leading a mission to “rescue families and civilians held captive by terrorists,” his sister Lior Zisser-Yogev said at a memorial days after his death.
Squirrel Hill resident Karen Gal-Or is a distant relative of Zisser — Gal-Or’s grandmother and Zisser’s grandfather were siblings.
Zisser was “an extraordinary kid,” Gal-Or told the Chronicle.
Apart from serving in the IDF’s Sayeret Matkal unit, he was a self-taught guitar player, a lover of math, science and chess, and a dedicated runner.
“He had just gotten married and was building his first home with his wife,” Gal-Or said. After Zisser was killed, his brother [Ido Zisser] was “really struggling.”
Ilay Zisser loved ecology, nature and running outdoors, Gal-Or said. Ido Zisser used to run with his brother and decided to start running again as a way to “reconnect.”
Ido Zisser invited others to join.
“He felt like it was the most appropriate way to honor his brother’s memory,” Gal-Or said.
Ido Zisser organizes runs in Israel almost every week.
Two weeks ago, Gal-Or was in the Jewish state and joined relatives, soldiers and friends for the trek.
“It was so beautiful,” she said. “We started at Ilay’s grave and then we ran through these beautiful wheat fields with tall sunflowers. It was extraordinary.”
Along the route, Gal-Or and fellow runners stopped.
Ido Zisser recounted his brother’s story and the area’s history. He pointed to barren spots and explained the land’s evolution. Then, when the run ended, Gal-Or said, “Everybody told stories about Ilay.”
Gal-Or was impacted by the event and Ido Zisser’s words.
“He talked about how much these runs have helped him just reconnect with his brother and honor his memory,” she said. “It’s been such a dark time — and there’s been so much sadness in Israel and so much sadness in Gaza — and it was just a beautiful, positive way to reconnect, and to celebrate the life of a wonderful person.”
On Aug. 4, Ido Zisser will lead Pittsburghers through a similarly meaningful run.
Slated to occur at Clayton Loop, near Frick Environmental Center, the 1-mile trail was selected to enable wide participation, Gal-Or said.
Runners, walkers and other athletes often find common pacing a challenge, but Gal-Or has a plan.
Participants will gather near the fountain, toward the entrance of the park and begin a discussion. Runners and walkers will then start the loop. Midway through the trail, participants will stop to chat, head out, then reconvene for snacks and conversation at the end of the loop. The Bring Them Home vigil will follow at the Frick Environmental Center, Gal-Or said.
Dayna Greenfield, Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh’s athletic director, is encouraging her cross-country runners to join the event.
“As a Jew, we are obligated to show we care not just for ourselves but for others,” she said. “We are taught to show respect and rachmanus (compassion). We don’t just run to promote ourselves and win awards, but to give back to the community and show support for causes that matter.”
Adam Hertzman, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s associate vice president of marketing, said the event is a reminder of the war and continued devastation.
“Just this week, we heard unfortunately from Israel’s government that two hostages were killed in Gaza. It’s important to honor the memory of those people and remember that there are still more than 100 people held hostage, and many thousands of people who are mourning loved ones who were killed on Oct. 7 and afterwards,” he said.
Sunday’s run distills the horror, Gal-Or said.
“You look at the stories and watch the news, and everything seems so far away, so complicated and so difficult. Each person who’s suffering in Israel and Gaza, they’re all people, and I feel like this brings it down to a single person’s story,” she said. Congregating, running and sharing memories helps shift one’s mind from “the larger conflict to each person here as an individual.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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