(Courtesy of the Simchat Torah Project) October 7t was Simchat Torah in Israel. Nearly 1,200 people were murdered and hundreds more were taken hostage. We, the Jewish people, suffered our most horrific day since the Holocaust.

This October will mark the first Simchat Torah since the horrific events of October 7.

Simchat Torah is a day of joy, celebration and hakafot– dancing – but Simchat Torah 5785 will also mark the first yahrzeit of the almost 1,200 victims of October 7. How do we, the Jewish people, respond? On Simchat Torah, will we dance? Should we dance? How do we commemorate this poignant and difficult anniversary?

King Solomon offers us guidance in Kohelet, which we will read on Sukkot, “There is a time for everything under the Heavens…. a time to mourn and a time to dance.” This Simchat Torah, with tears in our eyes, we will dance.

Shuls around the world will open their Aron HaKodesh on Simchat Torah night and take out several Torah scrolls. One, or more, will be adorned with a new me’il (Torah cover), designed to mark the first yahrzeit of October 7. This me’il will be identical to the ones which will be created for synagogues across the world.

This beautifully designed me’il will proclaim that this Torah is dedicated in memory of the 1,200 souls and the many soldiers and hostages who have since died, Al Kiddush Hashem. Each Torah me’il will feature the name of one of the kedoshim embroidered onto it. 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.

The Jewish world will be unified, knowing that across the globe, Jews are dancing with Torah scrolls that collectively link us all with the events of October 7, and inspire us to realize that “Am Yisrael Chai.”

Synagogues will encourage their members to come and dance with the newly robed scroll, and to remember the fallen, by holding their Torah high, so that they can say: “We will not forget what happened on Simchat Torah last year, but we are determined to dispel the darkness with light.”

This project will symbolize the Jewish People’s resilience, our ability to find hope in the face of tragedy.

Fifteen hundred communities across the globe will unite for Israel and the Jewish People. For more details and to register please go to www.thesimchattorahproject.org