Dancing With Our Torahs, Rejoicing With Our Nation

As I sit here on the plane, coming back from a joyous Yom Tov in Eretz Yisrael, I’m still processing the emotions I experienced. There’s no other way to describe it—it was exhilarating, heart-lifting, and profoundly spiritual. We danced. We celebrated. And we thanked Hashem.

It was a stark contrast to two years ago, when my wife and I spent Sukkot in Beitar Illit. I will never forget the sirens on Simchat Torah. I was walking home from shul with my son-in-law’s grandfather when we saw security vehicles speeding through the streets, picking up soldiers. We had no idea yet what was unfolding—but soon we learned: It was the single most brutal and sadistic massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. The pain was unfathomable. A rocket even struck just a block away from where we were staying. It was terrifying. And yet, even amidst the horror, I witnessed achdut—the unity of klal Yisrael—like never before. Soldiers flew in from around the world to defend our people. Tehillim was recited globally. Tz’dakah and chesed poured in from every corner of the Jewish world. Mi K’amcha Yisrael!

That moment in time has been etched in our nation’s heart.

And now, two years later, on Hoshanah Rabbah, something incredible happened. Twenty live hostages were released. It was nothing short of a miracle. We must thank HaKadosh Baruch Hu and the great shlichim who worked to make this happen: President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and many others. These efforts saved lives and lifted hearts.

President Trump began his address in the Knesset by thanking the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was a breathtaking moment. We always knew that Hashem runs the world—but now the world knows it, too.

And then, this Simchat Torah, I had a deeply personal, almost surreal moment. I walked the same route I had walked two years ago, and what I saw brought tears to my eyes. On that same corner where I had seen security trucks picking up soldiers in 2023, a large Sephardic shul had spilled out into the street with their exquisite Sifrei Torah. The entire kehillah was dancing in the traffic circle with unbridled joy and holiness. This was the ultimate response to terror: life, light, and Torah.

May the achdut we experienced in grief on Simchas Torah 2023 be renewed through the joy of Simchas Torah in 2025. May the unity, faith, and strength of klal Yisrael continue to shine brightly—no matter the season, no matter the challenge.

Yaakov Serle
Publisher, Bukharian Jewish Link