Friends to walk 100 miles in memory of ‘kind and gentle’ Nathan

 

A group of young men from north London will be embarking on a 100-mile trek across Israel to raise money in memory of their friend, as well as to bring about better awareness of men’s mental health.

In January, “kind and gentle” Nathan Sheldon, 20, took his own life.

On an online fundraising page, set up in his memory, the friends wrote: “We can’t imagine the pain he was in.”

Speaking at Nathan’s funeral, Uri Haver described his friend as “charming and witty” and said that he took on the role of being the host of the friendship group, regularly doling out invitations to watch football matches at his house on weekends.

“He had the uncanny ability to bring the friend group together, whether that was physically under one roof, or putting us all in a laughing frenzy,” Uri said.

Nathan Sheldon[Missing Credit]

  

Another one of the friends, Gad Sekenofsky, 20, who got to know Nathan while they were both Year 9 students at JFS, told the JC that Nathan was “always the one who would make an awkward situation funny. He would break the awkwardness by purposefully saying something niche or awkward himself to counteract it.”

Nathan, who lived in Golders Green, also made the “best” cocktails and was “dominant” on the football pitch, having played semi-professionally while he was at Newham College.

As the years went by, the group of friends bonded over their love of fitness, but Nathan maintained an “uncanny” level, sometimes going on 40km runs across London, they wrote on their fundraising page, adding: “As a friend group, we were all dedicated to the fitness lifestyle, yet no one put [in] as much effort or saw as much success in the gym as Nathan.”

It was just three days after Nathan’s death, as the friends were all sitting together having Friday night dinner, that they began brainstorming ways to honour their friend’s memory.

Nathan's friends (l-r) Yovel Drey, Amichai Ishak,Yonatan Drey, Yehuda Meshulam, Gad Sekenofsky, Gabi Haver and Uri Haver[Missing Credit]

Attempting to emulate the spirit of self-improvement, physicality and adventure, they said that Nathan embodied, the friends came up with the idea of doing a 100-mile march across Israel in late April.

Although the route has yet to be finalised, the trek will take place over three to five days, beginning in northern Israel and ending at the Kotel in Jerusalem, with the possibility of inviting members of the public to join them on the final 10km. Nathan’s parents, Russell and Farah, will be there to greet Nathan’s friends at the finishing line.

“Nathan’s parents are more than over the moon about what we’re doing – trying to keep Nathan’s memory alive and raising awareness of men’s mental health, while showing that support is always out there,” said Gad.

Going forward, the friends hope to establish the Nathan Sheldon Initiative, a permanent organisation that can act as a service provider or directory for men who are struggling.

“The biggest problem for men is not feeling comfortable enough to talk openly about their poor mental health,” Gad said. “There still exists this stigma that if you express yourself, you’re seen as weak. But it’s important for men to see that it’s okay to speak about their issues, and for them to know support is out there.”

The fundraiser, set up by Nathan’s friends, has so far raised nearly £13,000 of its £15,000 goal, with the money going towards various mental health charities in Israel, including By Your Side and Thank Israeli Soldiers. The latter charity has recently launched an initiative, Shields of Resilience, for IDF personnel who are struggling with mental health following October 7.

Gad said: “We are all Jewish and Zionist and have various personal connections to Israel, such as having friends and family in the army. The stigma surrounding mental health in the Israeli army is great. It isn’t really talked about there, although it’s getting better.”

You can donate here or at gofundme.com/f/nathan-sheldon and keep up with the progress of the Nathan Sheldon Initiative via the group’s Instagram page @ thenathansheldon_initiative 

If you need mental health support or are concerned for someone who might need help, cllick here or visit Jami’s website: jamiuk.org/get-support/  or contact 020 8458 2223

For immediate help, ring Samaritans on 116 123 (24 hours freephone)

Under 35s can contact Papyrus Hopeline247 

Stay Alive App, created by Grassroots Suicide Prevention, can be found here  or at: stayalive.app