A global initiative to collectively remember those murdered on 7th October and in the ensuing conflict has seen more than 500 synagogues around the world take ownership of a new cover for their Torah scroll which they danced with on Simchat Torah.
Launched to mark the first yahrzeit of the worst atrocity against the Jews since the Holocaust, the ‘Simchat Torah Project’ distributed a me’il (Torah cover), each one identical, to international communities including 61 in the UK.
The Simchat Torah project
The front of each cover is embroidered with the flag of Israel, along with the biblical verse “There is a time to mourn, and a time to dance”.
What makes each one unique is the name embroidered on the back, remembering either a soul murdered on Simchat Torah 7th October, or one of the many soldiers and hostages who have died since then.
The Simchat Torah Project
With increasing numbers of communities joining the ongoing project at a cost of around £1k, its creator, Mizrachi UK’s chief executive officer Rabbi Andrew Shaw, tells Jewish News: “Communities around the world will dance with these Torah scrolls – thousands of communities, with hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Jews being connected through this project. It’s meant a huge amount to the families in such a beautiful memorable way. It’s been a huge global success and ‘please God’, it will continue to be as we continue to grow.”
The project hopes to reach 1,600 synagogues globally.
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