Running a marathon to raise money for kids with special needs after October 7th, the darkest day in Israeli history.

My name is Nitay Nachtomi. On October 7, 2023, I was part of the Kibbutz Alumim security squad (kitat konenut) that fought a long battle to protect our home.

On October 7th, I overslept, and as a result I did not go out to my daily regular run around the perimeter of the kibbutz. Directly saving my life, as multiple groups of heavily armed terrorists were quickly approaching the perimeter.

Kibbutz Alumim’s kita konenut is made up of twelve men, from all corners of life. I am a physiotherapist, one is a neurobiologist with a lab at Bar Ilan University, another works hand-in-hand with the foreign workers on the kibbutz, while others work in tech and agriculture. The brother of another member of the team was brutally murdered at Kfar Aza — a 10 minute drive away.

Each of of us has his own story on why in the early hours of that morning for one reason or another they did not go on their usual morning routine, and as a result took part in the greatest fight for our lives.

For 16 hours we fought to protect our homes, our families, our Israel from brutal terrorists.

As the sounds of gunfire diminished as the night went on, the smell of burning buildings swept through the air. Less than three miles south, Kibbutz Be’eri was burnt and destroyed by these inhumane terrorists, killing ten percent of their community members. Nahal Oz, a mile away was ransacked. The road outside of Alumim turned into a firing pit for anyone escaping the Nova Musical Festival.

The war and all that has happened and continues to happen as a result has taken us by surprise and has forced us to cope with challenges, both big and small. We are able to face most of these challenges through the help of the wonderful people around us.

One of the things that has personally helped me cope is running, as it gives me some time to clear my head and try to bring some happiness and optimism into my life and the lives of those around me.

I’m now preparing for the New York City Marathon. For months, I’ve been running and training daily. I will be running the NYC Marathon on behalf of Shalva, the extraordinary, Jerusalem-based center for people with disabilities.

Your donation for the children will also help me overcome another challenge, one that I have set for myself — to run my first marathon! The ability to help the children of Shalva while overcoming this personal challenge gives that challenge significant meaning to me. It is an opportunity to harness my own strength and push myself beyond my limits not just for myself, but also for others.

As a team, we are hoping to raise over 7 million shekels. This is a substantial amount of money that will make an immense difference for an organization that provides daily care to approximately 1,000 children at no cost to them.

I have taken it upon myself to raise 30,000 shekels for these incredible children so that they can continue to receive the support that Shalva provides to them. I ask for your assistance today to help me reach my goal.

Your donations will help thousands of children with disabilities to cope, develop, participate, and, most importantly, feel equal. All of the money that I raise will go directly to helping the children (the flight to attend the marathon has already been made possible by our sponsors).

I turn to you today to ask you to visit the link below and to donate what you can to support my run for Shalva. Thank you.

Donate here