Israelis mark Simhat Torah in Tel Aviv with dueling protests and celebrations

Marking the holiday of Simhat Torah and the anniversary on the Jewish calendar of the October 7 attack, anti-government protesters gathered in Tel Aviv and in other cities around Israel to commemorate the victims of Hamas’s onslaught and call for an agreement that would bring home the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

Simhat Torah celebrates the completion of the annual reading cycle of the Five Books of Moses.

On the morning of the holiday last year, Hamas and other terror groups launched an invasion of Israel, killing over 1200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage into Gaza.

Activists and relatives of hostages held by Hamas gathered Thursday around photos of the hostages displayed at the iconic fountain at Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square, reciting the traditional Jewish prayer for the dead in memory of the victims.

Some protesters carried a banner reading, “There is no joy, there is no Torah, only neglect,” calling on the government to secure a deal to free the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

Separately, the Orthodox Jewish group Rosh Yehudi launched its annual parade marking the end of Simhat Torah on Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Street, with around 100 people taking part under a heavy police presence.

The “Hakafot Shniyot” (second rounds, in English) parade angered some activists, who argued celebrations should be muted this year out of respect for the anniversary of the attacks. Rosh Yehudi organized this year’s parade in cooperation with the right-wing Gvura Forum of bereaved families.

Based in central Tel Aviv, Rosh Yehudi is the bane of secularist groups that oppose its gender-segregated public prayers. There is no firm gender divide at the Hakafot Shniyot, though men and women appeared to be dancing in distinct circles, with only men holding Torah scrolls.

Anti-government accounts on social media had urged supporters to stage a silent protest and prevent Rosh Yehudi from holding their event.

One protester wielded a sign reading “Deplorables! Idolaters!” in front of the revelers and accused them of destroying democracy as they marched down King George Street on their way back to Dizengoff St. Police told the protester to leave, and the sign was knocked out of his hand.

Men dance with Torah scrolls in Tel Aviv, at National Religious group Rosh Yehudi's annual 'Second Rounds' of Simhat Torah dancing, which some anti-government, pro-hostage deal activists criticized, since it falls on the first Hebrew-calendar anniversary of the Oct. 7 onslaught. pic.twitter.com/Z8GVoNOvzG

— Noam Lehmann (@noamlehmann) October 24, 2024

Speaking before the parade set out, Rosh Yehudi head Israel Zeira thanked the Tel Aviv police for “surrounding us” against provocations.

“We came to dance not just for us, nor just because we want to, but because it is our personal duty to our friends who aren’t here” — the hostages, soldiers at the front, those who were killed or injured, he said.

Protesters also gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s homes in Jerusalem and Caesarea, calling for the premier to sign a ceasefire agreement to bring the hostages home.

“In order for us to once again rejoice in our Torah, we must uphold it – and its most sacred commandment of redeeming captives,” the Hostages Families Forum says in a statement.

In Caesarea, instead of the tradition of circling the synagogue with the Torah, the protesters circled the prime minister’s private residence, waving Israeli flags and holding torches and photos of hostages held in Gaza.