A clear afternoon wraps around Pokhara, a magical backpacker town resting peacefully at the foot of the Himalayas. On the southern dock of Phewa Lake, three young men stand: Yonatan (Yonis) Eshel, Uri Tal, and Yoav Birnbaum — childhood friends from Modi’in, carrying in their hearts the memory of their comrade and heroic fighter, Yona Betzalel Brief z”l.
Beyond the Mountains
It all began as a joke among the three. After a 15-kilometer trek through wild trails, the friends sat down at a guesthouse. Suddenly, one of them said:
“If Yona were here, he would already be swapping shoes and heading out for another run.”
Silence fell. They all knew: he truly would have done it.
That’s how the idea for the memorial run was born.
A Run Born from the Heart
Yona Betzalel, the youngest of the Brief family, was a child of nature, full of love for people, and always smiling.
His friends recall the games they played together in the basement of his family’s home. Between basketball shots and games of tag, he built a world of his own. He loved long hikes, the scent of the north after rain, the glint of water in sunlight, the hidden trails.
On every path, he sought a small detour — to find a new perspective, a hidden tree, or a rock where he could sit and think.
Yona was someone who gathered friends wherever he went. Even during a casual stroll down a street in Jerusalem, people from his past and present, from the neighborhood and from his travels, would stop him every few meters. His friends recall that he always responded with a smile, making each person feel like the most important friend in the world, even if he momentarily forgot their name.
More than anything, Yona loved life — not in words, but through daily deeds.
The First Wound and the Decision Not to Give Up
His friends remember how, in May 2023, during an operation in Tulkarem, Yona was wounded by shrapnel in his legs. The injury was serious, and the army offered him an early discharge — but he refused to accept it. Through determined, almost impossible rehabilitation, he fought his way back to active service in the Duvdevan Unit — back to combat operations, running with his weapon, and the struggle for life. He loved every part of it.
Just a few months later, war broke out.
The 13th Bullet
In the early morning hours of October 7, 2023 — Simchat Torah — Yona was stationed at the Gaza border, having stayed for Shabbat at the base. When the alarms sounded, Yona and his team made their way toward burning Kfar Aza. As they moved between the houses, under relentless fire, he was ordered to evacuate his wounded commander and communications officer. While carrying them, he was hit — thirteen bullets in total.
Yet Yona did not abandon his comrades. Only after complete physical collapse did he drag himself to shelter, waiting long minutes until the rescue arrived.
Yona was the first wounded soldier evacuated to Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer. He arrived unconscious, critically wounded, and was mistakenly listed among the fallen — until his family found him alive, still fighting for his life.
417 Days of Heroism
In his intensive care bed, Yona never stopped living. Alongside his family, his friends stayed by his side for endless hours, dividing Shabbat visits like shifts. They brought him pizza, sushi, watched soccer matches he didn’t even like, and sang loudly during physiotherapy exercises. They insisted on bringing rays of light into days of darkness.
Uri Tal, one of Yona’s childhood friends, recalls:
“At first, when we came to the ICU, it felt like there was the Yona we knew — and now a different Yona. But over time we realized it was still the same Yona, the one who loved life without limits. He simply channeled that same passion, that same smile, into the toughest battle of his life. The way he lived before allowed him to fight so long afterward.”
Yona managed to stay optimistic even when his body betrayed him. “He spoke about the future, about studying, about the guys coming to hang out in his backyard,” says Uri. “He never gave up on himself, not even for a moment.”
Yona, the most severely wounded soldier from the battles on that dark day, survived for 417 days of struggle, rising and falling — until his heart finally stopped.
“With Every Step — Yona Is With Us”
When the idea for the memorial run was born, his friends knew it was the most natural thing to do:
“Yona knew how to create a true sense of belonging, even in a foreign country. This run isn’t only for him — it’s for anyone feeling grief or longing, who doesn’t want to face it alone.”
Yoav Birnbaum describes:
“In every corner we passed during this journey in Nepal, I saw Yona. I saw him adding another loop, another adventure. He would never have settled for what was — he always looked for one more moment to seize from life.”
The event they organized has no medals, no participant lists — just an open lake, a landscape that expands the heart, and a path that anyone can dedicate — by name, by memory, by heart.
Remembering and Running in Pokhara
The vast lake stretches at the foot of the Annapurna Mountains, surrounded by endless green hills. The calm waters, the fishermen, the colorful boats — it all feels almost outside of time.
On Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at 5:00 PM (Nepal time), the special memorial run for Yona Betzalel Brief z”l and all the fallen will begin.
The gathering point will be near the “Relax Kitchen” restaurant in Pokhara, from where participants will run together along the shores of Phewa Lake.
The event is open to everyone — whether you choose to run, walk, sit quietly, or simply gaze out at the water.
“You’re welcome to take part in any way you feel,” the friends wrote in the invitation. “Run, walk, sit, or reflect by the lakeside. We would love to see you.”
The Heartbeat That Never Stopped
“When we reach the finish line,” concludes Yonatan Eshel, Yona’s close friend, “we’ll look around and think — where would Yona have added another viewpoint? Another smile? And then we’ll keep going. Always a little further.”
And so, on Memorial Day, as the siren sounds in Israel, across the mountains, among dozens of runners, Yona’s heartbeat will continue to beat within each of them.
