Masuaret Batya Students Hold Anti-Violence Run for Benjamin Yemu Zalka

Hundreds of children, teenagers, and adults from Masuaret Batya took part on Friday morning in a run dedicated to the memory of Benjamin Yemu Zalka, under the slogan "No to violence." The event was initiated by 10th-grade students from the Branco Weiss Rabin High School in the town.

The students, led by Itamar Rom, Uri Elharar, Avigail Nachum Shemesh, and Lior Gilboa, together with their teacher Ruth Lovshevski Amar, enlisted the local council and organized the event jointly. It was started by council head Gabi Gaon. After the run, a ceremony and discussion circle were held, where the students delivered a clear anti-violence message.

A family relative, Vella, Zalka’s cousin, attended the ceremony and spoke with the children. They said they had trouble sleeping the night before because of the excitement and expressed hope that the fight against violence would include all parts of society, with the message led by young people.

Zalka was murdered on the eve of Independence Day after being brutally attacked by a group of minors outside the Pizza Hut branch in Petah Tikva, where he worked. The main suspect has been indicted for murder with indifference, and indictments for aggravated assault were filed against 16 other teenagers. After the charges were filed, the family strongly criticized them. Zalka’s sister, Jaros, told Kan News on Reshet Bet that the indictment was too lenient, saying, "Everyone who touched my brother, who threw something at him, all of them are murderers."