Simchat Torah Returns to Gaza Envelope Communities Three Years Later
Three years after October 7, Simchat Torah celebrations return to Sderot and the Gaza envelope communities, blending profound grief with resilient communal joy and memory.
Three years after the October 7 tragedy, the Simchat Torah hakafot have returned to the communities of the Gaza envelope and Sderot. The reality has fundamentally changed, and no one is attempting to return to the pre-war era. Those who dance today know intimately who is missing from the circle, who will no longer lift the Torah scroll, and who will not return to celebrate with their friends.
Yet precisely because of this, the dancing takes on a profound new meaning. It is no longer just celebration; it is memory, longing, pain, and a deliberate choice not to let the day that stopped everything completely halt life. As the scrolls are brought out into the courtyards, some circles dance aloud while others remain silent. Much like the sharp transition from Memorial Day to Independence Day, grief and joy do not cancel each other out, but coexist.
Dancing with Renewed Strength in Alumim
In kibbutz Alumim, residents dance harder on the very day enemies tried to break them. October 7 left a deep wound, with security forces and fighters falling in the surrounding battles, alongside foreign workers from Thailand and Nepal. The kibbutz was largely saved thanks to its local security squad and arriving forces.
"They tried to strike at our Torah and our work, believing that if they hit the holy day and our agriculture, we wouldn't return. But we came back," says Eran Braverman, head of the community emergency team. Most members returned by August 2024. Amidst the joy, the fallen are honored through memorial prayers, viewing the dancing as a resilient choice of spirit and life.
Silent Circles and Living Memory in Saad
The community of Saad continues to live with the memory of fallen members, while maintaining a deeply solemn tradition. Alongside the festive atmosphere, the silent hakafa draws the largest number of members. The kibbutz walks together without music or singing, processing quietly.
"The entire kibbutz cries and walks," describes Tirza Oren. "The fullest, most crowded hakafa is the silent one." Chagai Hachmon, former security coordinator, compares the emotional duality to Israel's national holidays: "We emerge from Memorial Day and instantly transition to joy. But this is our country; we have no other land.
Shlomit and Sderot: Honoring the Fallen Through Life
In Shlomit, four community members fell in battle, whose sacrifice residents feel saved them from further devastation. Traditions now include visiting the site of the battle at Pri Gan before the holiday to recite Kaddish. For the first time, hakafot will take place in the new "Beer Shalom" synagogue built in memory of the fallen.
In Sderot, families like Ruti and Aryeh Cohen, whose son Shilo fell in combat, continue to gather joy despite the lingering absence. Rabbi Moshe Shur describes how residents of Sderot and Sha'ar HaNegev held joint hakafot in the very square once crossed by terrorists, turning the space into a testament of healing and endurance.
