Run for Hilly Solomon

Join us to honor Hilly and the rest of the Nova Festival victims with a walk/run culminating with dancing and entertainment for all ages with Melbourne Interactive Entertainment!

All donations to the Hilly Solomon Memorial Fund are welcome, whether or not you can attend the event - though of course we would love to see you there! 

Who was Hilly?

Read all about her here or watch the video made by her family.

A message from Hilly's family:
On October 7th, 2023, life as we knew it ended abruptly when our youngest daughter, Hilly Solomon, was murdered at the “Nova” festival at the young age of 26. Hilly was an impressive young woman of great character, values and maturity in her perspective on life. Her tremendous willpower, persistence, and goal orientation contributed to her extraordinary military service, as a female combat soldier in the Israel Defense Forces Canine Unit, “Oketz”. Her optimism, positive thinking, and refusal to accept either glass ceilings or failure as an option drove her forward as an entrepreneur, as she established her own festival wear brand, “Ashkara”. Hilly was charismatic and full of life, constantly had a smile on her face, loved to live and dance, and was always surrounded by hundreds of friends who wanted to share in her light.

Her life ended at a party.

When she was taken from us in her prime, we looked for a way to commemorate her that would reflect her amazing character and values in their entirety. Eventually, we decided to uphold an annual race in her name that would take place in Kfar Yona, Israel - The Annual Hilly Solomon Kfar Yona Race. We were moved to tears when friends and family in the United States, France, Hong Kong, and Australia decided to hold parallel races in Hilly’s memory, in a show of solidarity and support.

Why Melbourne?

Australia was a significant place in our daughter’s short life. Our family traveled to Australia twice while living in Hong Kong, and Hilly fell in love with the country and continent. Hilly particularly loved Melbourne, Phillip Island, and driving around with her family, unraveling the many unique animals and sea life Australia has to offer. Hilly was proud of her history, being granted the opportunity to travel the world, growing up in a multicultural environment, and blossoming in such a unique surrounding. Hilly had also planned to return to Australia on her post-IDF trip, yet disappointingly was unable to due to logistic issues. That is why we are so touched that our friends and family in Melbourne, along with the Jewish community, have stepped up to honor Hilly as well.

Hilly's life was cut short, but she would want us to celebrate it. In the months before October 7th, Hilly decided she wanted to run a half marathon, but will never get the chance. So let's gather together in her memory to run, walk, and dance - for Hilly and for the almost 400 others we lost at Nova, because they no longer can. This will be a family-friendly event - please feel free to bring friends and family of all ages (and your dogs!) - let's turn out for Hilly with all the energy we can so she can feel it and know how much she is missed, even by those who never met her.