ROME - The Italian Jewish community hosted a road race Sunday passing through Jewish historical sites, including those of Holocaust remembrance, as part of a series of events in Italy marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The event is sponsored by the World Jewish Congress and coordinated in partnership with a number of local Jewish organizations.
The Run for Mem (Run for Remembrance: Looking Ahead), held ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, included two routes – 10 kilometers for athletes, and 2.5 kilometers for the general public. It is the first sports race in Europe ever to commemorate the Holocaust. 
During the race, participants were encouraged to stop and read commemorative plaques, and to light candles at the memorial sites.
The event was organized by the umbrella Union of Italian Jewish Communities under the auspices of the government and in collaborations with the Rome Marathon and the Maccabi Italia Association. More than two dozen Jewish, civil, government and sports bodies are supporting the initiative. The race was featured live on Sky News Italia.
“Sport as a means of coming together is a way to affirm life and dialogue,” UCEI President Noemi Di Segni said ahead of the race.
The World Jewish Congress also encouraged participants of the race to join the WJC's social media initiative encouraging Holocaust awareness, which calls on supporters to photograph themselves holding a sign bearing the words “We Remember,” and then post their photos to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #WeRemember. More than 200,000 people have already taken part in the campaign, launched on January 9.
Other initiatives around Italy to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day include a major concert featuring a composition written by victims of the Holocaust, exhibitions, cultural and educational events, and commemorative ceremonies.
