Every week, those who enjoy the simple things in life like fresh air, movement, and community gather in different neighborhoods of Nashville to run, walk, and stay for post run coffee or drinks. This is all part of the group Nice Jewish Runners, which originally started in New York.
Following October 7, 2023, Jewish people all over were yearning for community. Four days later, in a quest for community and maintaining his running journey, NJR Founder Ezra Feig put out an Instagram post. His call was simple, if there was interest in a solidarity run in New York, he’d arrange it.
“As the grandson of four Holocaust survivors, like many Jews, I felt like I had to do something to help,” Feig said. “In my little world of running I noticed a lot of silence and felt like Jewish runners needed a safe space.”
Feig quickly got to work on launching the group. They hosted the first run in Central Park on October 20, 2023, and now have chapters in nearly two dozen cities around the world.
Nice Jewish Runners Nashville hosted their first run on Sunday, June 2, after founder Erin Wides felt a similar silence and read vile posts from the leader of a group she was running with.
“I was no longer going to show up in a space where a ‘leader’ was posting what that individual was posting and fellow runners were staying quiet.” Wides said. “The next few months of miles were lonely, but in the spring, I came across an NJR Instagram reel and quickly connected with Ezra. After a few weeks of planning and lots of outreach, here we are, and it’s been the best thing to happen for me.”
Every week since June 2, people have shown up to run, jog, or walk a 1.5- or 3-mile route. The runs/walks are designed to be at your own pace and always end at a local coffee shop or restaurant for schmoozing and community building.
NJR Nashville has seen everyone from young professionals, college students, and parents. Vanderbilt senior Zander Schwartz was looking to get back into a workout routine and said doing so around people he feels comfortable with has made it easier.
“It’s been special to have this community. I find that I connect with people on all levels despite how different a lot of our life trajectories are, which I think is something rare,” Schwartz said. “These are people I look forward to seeing week after week. I also started bringing my friends, and that’s been fun too.
To get in a routine, the group began with just running on Sunday mornings through Nashville’s 12 South neighborhood. There was quickly a desire and need for different routes and an additional time to give more people a chance to join the fun. Starting in August they added Thursday evening runs, which have seen a steady turnout.
NJR Nashville member Kayla Jacobs was born and raised in Nashville and moved away for work. When she returned in the spring, she was eager to get involved in the Jewish community and her husband suggested she attend a run.
“I was unsure where to even start with moving back and finding the groups of young Jewish professionals, especially since I had not been here much since graduating high school,” Jacobs said. “NJR has been the best part of my week now for a few months. The community is unmatched.”
The group is not a shy one and holds space and conversations for just about everything.
“To have a safe space to discuss the ongoing war in Israel with Americans and Israelis alike has helped facilitate a lot of healthy conversations and deeper understanding of what everyone feels,” Jacobs said.
The runs have become a part of people’s weekly routine and they come for different reasons. Sometimes it’s for movement, other times it’s for community. Dalton Taylor was interested in the idea of combining fitness with socializing, while also trying to navigate the increase in hate from others.
“I’ve seen a lot of hate directed towards Jews on the internet, and it’s been really important for me to distance myself from that negativity,” Taylor said. “Meeting this community in real life every week feels like therapy. It’s comforting to be surrounded by people who share nothing but kindness and positivity, especially during such difficult times.”
The group is all about celebrating one another and has gotten to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and hosted a pasta dinner send-off for one of their runners before the Berlin Marathon.
“Everyone is welcome here; you don’t have to be Jewish. I’ve had friends who aren’t Jewish join us, and it means a lot. You can show up exactly as you are and there’s going to be a family here to support you,” Wides said.
Runs are Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m. and Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. For more information on future run locations, you can follow NJR Nashville on Instagram (@nicejewishrunners_nash).
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