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A Few Clouds Temple Israel rabbi preps for NYC Marathon
Spiritual leader running to fundraise for breast-cancer group
If you stumble across a middle-aged man sprinting on Merrick streets early in the morning, don’t be alarmed. That’s probably Rabbi Scott Hoffman.
Hoffman is spiritual leader of Temple Israel of South Merrick, which takes in members from throughout the Merricks and Bellmores. He’s training for the New York City Marathon, which he will compete in Nov. 7.
The annual race, run in November, spans 26 miles across Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan. The marathon, considered one of the world’s greatest races, began in 1970, only six years before Hoffman started running as a middle-school student.
Hoffman, 46, has run seven marathons, including the Boston Marathon, Long Island Marathon and Philadelphia Marathon, the latter of which he has competed in four times.
After completing the Philadelphia Marathon in 2008, Hoffman suffered tendinitis in his left leg, and he thought his marathon days were over. “I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to run a marathon again,” he said. After enduring rehabilitation, Hoffman said his tendinitis is “in remission.”
Hoffman, who tries to run six days a week, had previously been put on the long waiting list for the New York City Marathon, but had been unable to enter because his name was never picked.
All that changed when Sharsheret, a national non-profit organization based in New Jersey that supports young women and their families of all Jewish backgrounds facing breast cancer, contacted him earlier this year. Founded in 2001, Sharsheret provides social workers, peer-to-peer counseling, education groups and programs. Every year the organization has about a half-dozen marathoners run on its behalf, and this year the group contacted Hoffman to be a part of its marathon fundraising team. Hoffman jumped on board.
“I’ve enjoyed it because I got back to being in marathons,” he said. “I could’ve never gotten into the New York City Marathon myself, and I’ve met some nice people.”
Hoffman’s current goal is to raise $5,000 for the Sharsheret. “When I accepted, I said, ‘I didn’t know if I could raise $5,000, and I didn’t really know if I could run a marathon. But I offered to do both,” he joked. So far, he has raised about two-thirds of the money.
