PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS
October 22, 2024
Palm Beach temples to celebrate Simchat Torah holiday while honoring those lost on Oct. 7
By Jodie Wagner (Government Reporter)
Jewish congregations in Palm Beach are planning to celebrate the normally festive holiday of Simchat Torah this week, but a trace of melancholy will linger over observances.
The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel occurred during the holiday, which marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings and the beginning of a new cycle.
Simchat Torah is celebrated with singing, dancing, reading and parading with the Torah, and Jewish people around the world will gather to participate in those activities while also remembering the nearly 1,200 men, women and children who lost their lives during the Hamas attacks.
New Synagogue
New Synagogue at 235 Sunrise Ave. will host Simchat Torah afternoon and evening services beginning at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, followed by a candle lighting. Morning services on Friday begin at 9 a.m., followed by a Kiddush lunch. Registration is required. To register, visit www.newsynagogue.org.
The synagogue invites children to participate in a special Torah blessing Friday at 11:15 a.m. under a handwoven canopy dedicated in memory of the children of the Holocaust.
Simchat Torah celebrations continue Sunday at 10:30 a.m. with a New Synagogue intergenerational Jewish Family Jams program of play, song, and story for toddlers and young children, along with their parents and grandparents, at Rhythm and Hues, 7725 S Dixie Hwy.
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