Holocaust survivor’s message inspired fitness trainer on cross-country walk

A 23-year old fitness coach from Manchester has completed a gruelling 212-mile walk to raise awareness for Holocaust Memorial Day.

Yoel Levy arrived at the offices of Yad Vashem UK Foundation this morning having left his home in Hale at 4am on Sunday. During five days he walked 12 to 15 hours daily across Stoke, Lichfield, Coventry, Milton Keynes and finally Watford.

Nearly 90 donors fundraised his efforts, to date raising over £2,100.

Buoyed by a swell of community support, Yoel was moved to receive a personal video from Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg, who said he was “full of admiration” for Yoel’s efforts and that he was “a shining light to our generation.”

Yoel, told Jewish News he feels “accomplished, a very proud Jew and a very proud human.” and that Goldberg’s encouragement “meant so much to me and gave me the extra push, the extra motivation to help me through this journey.”

Yad Vashem UK chair Simon Bentley, said Yoel was a “superstar.” Greeting him with congratulatory balloons at his grand finish at the organisation’s offices in Hendon, he told Jewish News: “He has walked 212 miles for 5 days from Manchester to London raising awareness of Holocaust Memorial Day, and funding for Yad Vashem UK. The rise of antisemitism and hate speech against Jewish people of all ages and beliefs makes it even more urgent to act now and make a difference. Yoel is an example for us all to follow.”

Yoel documented his journey along the way across social media, each day posting a video on Instagram, dedicated to an athlete lost to the Holocaust “to educate myself and educate others.”

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