Today was the GTA UJA Walk With Israel. It is the largest Israel participatory Israel event in the world, outside of Israel. We've done it every year since moving to Canada. Last year I walked with the ECRUSY Spring Convention participants. Every year ECRUSY supports Zareinu as one of its tzedakot. Last year, since our convention was in Toronto, and coincided with the Walk, we decided to not only support Zareinu financially, but physically. All participants dressed in ZAREINU MOVEATHON t-shirts, making a big splash as the group moved through the thousands of people singing proudly.
This year convention returned to its traditional Mother's Day Weekend, and moved to London (it rotates throughout Ontario), but the Gorman's made up Team Zareinu, with a little help from our friends (especially a couple of teenagers). We handed out close to 2500 Zareinu Moveathon (http://www.moveathon.com/events.php) stickers. We handed out some t-shirts and brochures to thosands of people. We began the Walk close to the start, but finished at the end of the line, having stopped at each nosh stop to hand out more.
More on the Moveathon later, but check it out!
The Walk With Israel is amazing. There are thousands of people (10-15,000 although this year felt larger). One would think it'd be scary to walk with small children, and you couldn't find anyone in the crowds, but not true. It's surprisingly comfortable. There a many, many families, and you see everyone you know. We bump into friends all along the Walk route, and have no problem finding friends before the Walk. According to this year's site, http://walkwithisrael.com/, over $430,000 has been raised.
Nosh stops along the way provide entertainment, refreshment, and porta-potties.
Inevitably there are protestors, but how disheartened can we be. There were five Neturei Karta at the start (an extreme sect of Hareidi Jews) at the start, plus about a dozen along the way. There were probably more at the end, but we didn't see them. When you see a few dozen versus 15,000 it's hard not to wonder how the voices of those few make a splash. Actually, on Walk day they don't. What does make the spalsh is thousands of Jews proud to be Jews and proud of Israel, supporting our land and the work UJA does there.
While my knees still hurt, and I am really glad to have done the 8 km this year with family and friends. See you there next year!
