Celebrating Simchat Torah with special mantles
As we celebrated Simchat Torah this year, how could we not think about the one-year anniversary of Oct. 7 and the days that followed.
During hakafot in the Young Israel of Woodmere, I noticed three special Torah covers — white with a blue magen david, like the Israeli flag — bearing dedications, in Hebrew, to individuals killed on and after Oct. 7.
The Simchat Torah Project — subtitled “dancing through tears” — was organized by Mizrachi, a global religious Zionist organization. It created touching connections and memorials to the tragedies of Oct. 7, provided participating communities with Torah covers dedicated to a victim of the terror attack or to a member of the IDF killed in the year since.
Participating in the project were 525 Jewish communities in 287 cities in 31 countries, the project reported.
The YIW Torah covers were dedicated in memory of Sergeant Major Aviad Gad Cohen (killed in October 2023), security guard Salomon Iliaguev (killed in October 2023) and Master Sergeant Zechariah Pesach Haber (killed in January 2024). Rabbi Shalom Axelrod spoke about the significance of the Torah covers in their new home.
HANC High School in Uniondale participated as part of a pre-Simchat Torah celebration. Their Torah cover was gifted to them by Ariel and Shelley Serber, in memory of Major Dvir David ben Fima who was killed in battle in December 2023.
Students and staff took turns to hold and admire the Torah with its new mantle cover. As Rabbi Eli Slomnicki, the menahel, spoke of the significance of the new cover, students focused on honoring both Dvir’s memory and the spirit of renewal that Simchat Torah represents.
“It was yet another moment of synthesizing dual-emotions while experiencing Jewish pride, ahavas haTorah and a sense of peoplehood,” said Rabbi Slomnicki. “These are the moments that animate a yeshiva education.”
It is still hard to come to terms with the fact that we still have as many as 101 hostages waiting to come home. And we continue to think about all of the soldiers we have lost since Oct. 7.
As we do every year, we were celebrating Simchat Torah last year when we heard the horrific news about what had taken place in Israel. This year, as we celebrated again, the special Torah covers helped remind us of the individuals lost and allowed us to celebrate their lives lived.
Nechama Bluth is an associate for The Jewish Star. To reach her, write: nbluth@TheJewishStar.com
