On Sunday November 6, Rabbis Benjamin David and Scott Weiner ran the ING New York City Marathon in hopes of raising awareness of the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion's Soup Kitchen, where they served as volunteers during rabbinical school. The Rabbis wore T-shirts bearing the name of the soup kitchen with a few words of support. The soup kitchen, which is operated by HUC-JIR students and area volunteers, is open Monday nights at 1 West 4th Street, and provides free food, clothing, and counsel to those in need.

Rabbi David and Rabbi Weiner believe that by running the marathon, they attracted attention to the soup kitchen and the valuable resources it offers those in the community.

"It seemed to be a unique story," said Rabbi David, "As they say, if two rabbis can run 26.2 miles, then just about anything is possible. We wanted to bring about change. To be Jewish does not mean sitting still. To be Jewish does not mean complacency."

"The marathon is a difficult thing," Rabbi Wiener stated. "It's painful. You feel hunger. You feel pain. There are people who feel hunger every day. There are people who feel pain every day. We voluntarily took on some physical pain." The 'running Rabbis' want to make people aware of the pain and suffering that surrounds us, and our ability to make a difference.

Rabbi David, the assistant rabbi at Temple Sinai of Roslyn, ran his third marathon in three years. For Rabbi Weiner, the spiritual leader at the Hebrew Tabernacle Congregation in Washington Heights, this was his first marathon.