Education Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday night went out on a 5K race through the streets of Tel Aviv, which he’s been pushing all day on his Facebook page. The impromptu race went through the spot on Dizengoff Street where on Friday an Israeli Arab sprayed peaceful pub patrons, killing two and wounding seven.
Minister Bennett’s call actually attracted many runners who joined him spontaneously and participated in the race and the message: Tel Aviv will remain a city that never sleeps, and not a city where people are afraid to leave their homes.
At the start of the race, Bennett said, “In the last few days I’ve heard that residents are afraid to leave the house and that’s exactly what the Terror wants: that we’ll be afraid, that we won’t leave the house, that we’ll lose our normal lives.
“That’s why we came here, secular and religious, right and left, to say, We are together, and when we are together no one will stop us — not even the rain,” Bennett said, adding, “We’ll remember Alon Bakal and Shimo Ruimi. We’ll remember their happiness and their love for this place. We don’t have to blame anyone, but to demand more of ourselves. We must raise our head and be happy. Facing the terror of individuals, we’ll be a united people who sanctifies life. The answer to terror is a united nation.”