Last Simchat Torah was marked by the October 7th tragedy.
This Simchat Torah, we reclaim the holiday, memorializing those we’ve lost, remembering those who are still in Gaza, and keeping our Jewish culture, spirit, and the holiday alive.
LAST SIMCHAT TORAH WAS STOLEN FROM US
Simchat Torah is meant to be one of the most joyous days on the Hebrew calendar, when we celebrate the conclusion – and new beginning – of the annual cycle of Torah readings with dancing, parading, and singing.
But last year, Hamas stole our Simchat Torah joy. The October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israeli men, women, and children was not only the deadliest antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust, but it also took place during both Simchat Torah and Shabbat. To this day, over a year later, around 100,000 Israelis remain internally displaced, and 101 are still held captive in Gaza, including a Holocaust survivor, a 5-year-old, and a one-year-old.
This year, it can be expected that we will not celebrate as usual, but we should not let Hamas take this day from us. We’ve overcome tragedy before, and we’ve done so before on Simchat Torah. Let’s talk about it:
WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE, AND WE WILL SURVIVE IT AGAIN
Interestingly, this is not the first time in Jewish history that Simchat Torah has become a symbol of Jewish resilience.
In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, leading a Jewish life in the Soviet Union was virtually impossible. Jews were not allowed to assimilate into Soviet society due to their ethnic background, but they were also criminalized if they tried to live openly as Jews. Oftentimes, they were imprisoned under false pretenses, and people with Jewish last names were subject to university quotas or banned from certain jobs.
In this repressive environment, Simchat Torah became a day when Soviet Jews openly asserted their identities, traditions, history, beliefs, and culture. The first of these impressive — and impromptu — demonstrations took place in Moscow in 1964, when 15,000 Jews celebrated the holiday in front of the Central Synagogue of Moscow, under the watchful eye of the KGB, singing and praying in the forbidden Hebrew language and expressing their friendship with Israel.
THE JEWISH WORLD HEEDS THE CALL
Despite the Soviet regime’s efforts to downplay Simchat Torah as a symbol of Jewish resilience and resistance, Jews elsewhere around the world were deeply moved by the Soviet Jews’ strength and determination. In 1973, over 100,000 Jews in New York City participated in a Simchat Torah demonstration/protest for the rights of Soviet Jewry. Other similar Simchat Torah demonstrations were held elsewhere in the Diaspora.
“The Gaon of Vilna said that ‘you shall rejoice in your festival’ is the most difficult commandment in the Torah. I could never understand this puzzling remark. Only during the [Holocaust] did I understand. Those Jews who, in the course of their journey to the end of hope, managed to dance on Simchat Torah, those Jews who studied Talmud by heart while carrying stones on their back, those Jews who went on whispering Hymns of the Sabbath while performing hard labor…’you shall rejoice in your festival’ was one commandment that was impossible to observe—yet they observed it.”
- Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, author, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
HOW WE ARE RECLAIMING SIMCHAT TORAH
On October 7, Hamas tried to strip the joy from our Simchat Torah celebrations. But the best way to reclaim our ancient holiday -- one that Jews have celebrated for hundreds of years, with origins dating back thousands of years -- is to honor it as our ancestors intended for it to be honored. As I always say, it’s important to look at Jewish history and Jewish culture and tradition through the eyes of our ancestors, not through the eyes of our oppressors.
The name “Simchat Torah” translates to “the joy of Torah,” so it’s not surprising that our biggest Simchat Torah traditions include singing, dancing, and parading with the Torah.
It’s also important to note that, while Simchat Torah marks the end of the cycle of Torah readings, it also marks its new beginning, when we restart the Torah from Bereshit (Genesis). In a way, this is symbolic: October 7 was a devastating blow to Israel and the Jewish community worldwide. We still haven’t fully recovered, nor will we be able to begin to heal entirely until the 101 hostages are brought back home. But for many Jews, October 7 also marked a new beginning in their relationship with their own Jewish identities.
HOW YOU CAN RECLAIM THE HOLIDAY
Now, more than ever, we keep the Jewish spirit alive by honoring our holidays, experiencing Israel, and grappling with the juxtaposition we’re faced with during these days and celebrations.
Birthright Israel is one way you can connect with fellow Jews and experience Israel for free.
Make this a meaningful winter – find a safe space traveling to Israel with like-minded Jews. For a chance to experience Israel, volunteer, bear witness, and connect with local Israelis go to birthrightisrael.com/trips
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, visit birthrightisrael.com/volunteer
SOURCES
https://hias.org/emergency-response-israel/
https://www.jta.org/archive/moscow-jews-celebrate-simchat-torah-in-public-demonstration
https://ontariojewisharchives.andornot.net/Permalink/descriptions21871
https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1175875
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4464/jewish/What-Is-Shemini-Atzeret-Simchat-Torah.htm