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Simchat Torah 2024: We Will Dance Once More
The personal belongings of festival-goers are seen at the site of an attack on the Nova Festival by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel. Photo: Reuters/Ronen Zvulun
A full year has passed since Simchat Torah on October 7, 2023. A full year has passed since the attempted genocide of our people.
This holiday — typically marked by celebrations as communities gather to dance and sing to honor the Torah and complete the reading cycle — ended with a horrific massacre that stole the joy from us, leaving deep wounds that will never fully heal.
The brutal slaughter that took place was not just a sadistic attack on innocent lives — it was an attack on the very essence of who we are as a people. Men, women, and children were targeted simply for being Jewish, for living their lives and for celebrating their faith.
As Simchat Torah approaches once again, we find ourselves in a profoundly different place. We take a moment to remember the countless lives lost — those whose futures were tragically cut short and the families left behind to bear the weight of unimaginable grief.
While we will still gather to celebrate this year, the carefree joy that typically defines this holiday will be replaced by a more solemn spirit. We will dance and sing with a profound sadness in our hearts as we honor those we lost, and pray for the swift recovery of the injured and for the safe return of the hostages. Yet this year, we will also unite as a nation to reaffirm our resilience and strength as a people.
Indeed, the past year has been a testament to the extraordinary resilience we have seen emerge from our remarkable nation.
While the massacre sought to break our spirit, it did the opposite. It instead strengthened our determination. With unmatched heroism, our brave boys and girls have sacrificed so much to defend our people. Many of them still in their teenage years, have stood on the front lines of Israel’s Defense Forces, putting their lives at risk to protect our people and our homeland. They are an inspiration to us all and have shown the world what true courage looks like.
Similarly, the global Jewish community has been a source of immense strength, reminding us that no matter where we are in the world, we are all part of one extended family. From the heartfelt prayers to the material aid sent to help Israel’s residents, the message is clear: we are in this together. The bonds of kinship that unite us as Jews have never been stronger, and this support has been vital, providing strength and solace to those who need it most.
This Simchat Torah, we may not experience the same joy that we once did, but we celebrate nonetheless because to refrain from marking the occasion would signify defeat. And we will not be defeated.
By coming together to celebrate, we affirm to ourselves and the world that our faith, unity, and hope for the future remain unshaken. In fact, they burn brighter than ever. No matter how dark the world may seem, the light of the Jewish people — both here in Israel and across the Jewish world — will continue to shine through.
Despite the hardships of the past year, we remain unbroken and united in our unwavering commitment to continuing to forge a secure and prosperous future for ourselves and for generations to come.
On this Simchat Torah, and on every Simchat Torah, we will honor the unbreakable spirit of the Jewish people, knowing without doubt that we will dance once more, stronger and more resolute than ever before.
Yaakov Hagoel is the Chairman of the Executive of the World Zionist Organization. He was formerly acting chairman of The Jewish Agency for Israel.
The post Simchat Torah 2024: We Will Dance Once More first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.