For many members of Cape Town’s Jewish community, Sunday was more than a marathon day. It was, according to the South African Zionist Federation’s Cape Council, a rare opportunity “to stand together publicly as Jews and Zionists” after more than 30 months of rising antisemitism and anti-Zionism following the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Sunday, May 24, 2026, will be remembered as a landmark day for the Cape Town Jewish community, a day of color, courage and deep communal pride,” it said in a press release.

The event, on the sidelines of the popular Cape Town Marathon, was organized by the SAZF Cape Council, which estimated that some 1,000 members of the local Jewish community attended.

The occasion was a tribute run by Manchester-based Jewish fitness coach Yoel Levy, who ran in the Cape Town Marathon dressed as Batman in memory of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the red-haired brothers who became symbols of the Israeli hostage crisis and were murdered while in Hamas captivity in Gaza.

“I’ll be running as Batman for the Bibas boys again, carrying their memory with me in every step, just like I have in Jerusalem, London, New York and Boston,” Levy posted on social media before the marathon. “Each city has been different, but the reason has always stayed the same—to show up, to be proud of who we are, and to remind people that we are still here. What makes this one feel especially meaningful is the opportunity to connect with the Jewish community in South Africa.”

In balmy weather, some 27,000 runners took part in the 2026 Cape Town Marathon, one of South Africa’s premier road-running events, which winds through some of the coastal city’s most iconic scenery.

‘He ran with an entire community behind him’

What began as Yoel Levy’s personal act of remembrance quickly became a community-wide expression of solidarity.

“When Yoel laced up and pulled on his Batman suit to run in memory of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, he didn’t run alone,” said Joshua Schewitz, executive director of SAZF’s Cape Council. “He ran with an entire community behind him, beside him and cheering him every step of the way.”

Families, young adults and elderly community members gathered along the route, many carrying Israeli flags and wearing Jewish symbols. Participants described the atmosphere as uplifting, emotional and deeply meaningful.

For some, it marked the first time since Oct. 7 that they felt comfortable expressing their Jewish identity so openly in a public setting.

“Many said it felt like exhaling after holding their breath for almost three years,” Schewitz said. “For the first time in a long time, the community came out in numbers, without fear and without apology.”

‘Proud Zionists’

The event was not planned as a political demonstration but as a tribute to two children whose deaths shocked people around the world and as an affirmation of Jewish identity and connection to Israel, the SAZF-Cape Council said.

“The community stood proudly as Zionists—not as a provocation, but as an affirmation,” Schewitz said. “Love of Israel, connection to the Jewish homeland and pride in Jewish identity were on full display.”

A small group of demonstrators affiliated with the Palestinian Solidarity Committee and other organizations protested along the route, drawing criticism from Jewish community leaders.

“It does raise a genuine and uncomfortable question,” Schewitz said. “What exactly were they objecting to? Was it his Jewishness? Or was it specifically his act of honoring the memory of two small children killed in captivity?”

Despite the protests, organizers and participants deliberately avoided confrontation.

“The community, to its enormous credit, didn’t take the bait,” Schewitz said. “They looked past the noise, focused on their purpose and let the joy and meaning of the day speak for itself.”

Participants described scenes of children waving flags, friends embracing and strangers sharing moments of reflection and remembrance. “There was laughter and there were tears,” Schewitz said. “It was, in the truest sense, community.”

The gathering served as a reminder of the enduring strength of one of the largest and most established Jewish communities in the Southern Hemisphere. Cape Town’s Jewish community numbers about 16,000, while South Africa is home to roughly 50,000 Jews, the largest Jewish population in Africa.

“Cape Town’s Jewish community has always been vibrant, resilient and deeply connected,” Schewitz said. “Sunday was a reminder of just how much strength there is when people choose to stand together for Jewishness and Israel, proudly, peacefully and without fear.”

‘We did it’

While Levy’s run was dedicated to the memory of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, it became something larger—a reaffirmation of communal identity at a time when many Jews around the world continue to grapple with rising antisemitism and polarization, the SAZF Cape Council said.

“Yoel Levy ran for the Bibas boys,” Schewitz said. “But in doing so, he reminded an entire community of who they are. And they showed up. All of them.”

For his part, Levy posted after the marathon, “We did it! We completed the Cape Town Marathon in a Batman suit for the Bibas boys.”

Levy noted, “These marathons are never just about running. They are about showing Jewish pride around the world, bringing people together and reminding people that wherever we go, our community stands strong.”

In the Cape Town Marathon itself, Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa won the men’s race in a record time of 2:04:55, which was also the fastest marathon ever run on the African continent. In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Dera Dida claimed victory in a time of 2:23:18.

Schewitz concluded, “This wasn’t a protest. It was a celebration of life, of memory and of identity.”

He added, “The community also stood proudly as Zionists, not as a provocation, but as an affirmation. Love of Israel, connection to the Jewish homeland and pride in Jewish identity were on full display. These are not radical positions. They are the heartbeat of Jewish life for millennia.”