By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – A Torah dedication ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem marked the first anniversary of the October 7 attack by Hamas fighters in Israel honoring victims and fallen soldiers.
The ceremony at the ancient wall at the built-up hill known to Jews and Christians as the “Temple Mount” marked a year-long initiative in memory of those killed and the fallen soldiers of Israel’s subsequent “Iron Swords War” against Hamas in Gaza
The event, broadcast live in Israel and worldwide, featured the traditional Seven Hakafot (Torah processions), with each round led by a prominent figure.
The Torah scroll, carefully written throughout the past year to commemorate those who perished, was previously carried to the sites of the attacks in southern Israel and other notable locations, including former Nazi death camp Auschwitz, to remember and honor the victims.
The ceremony, attended by large crowds, including relatives of fallen or abducted soldiers, came amid Monday’s rocket attacks by Israel’s enemies that injured more than a dozen people.
Haim Taib, founder and president of the Menomadin Foundation who initiated the Torah project, said: “Since that bloody Sabbath,” when 1,200 people were killed, “I saw destruction and despair transform into resilience and strength. I met ordinary civilians who became heroes.”
He added that a “Torah scroll” comprising the first five books of the Bible — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, “is not just a religious document. It is a symbol of unity and shared values that have accompanied the people of Israel and Jews around the world from generation to generation.
It was written to convey and strengthen the message of the unity of the people of Israel.”
Separately, dozens of pastors, including from the United States, Britain, and China, visit Israel to pray for the Jewish nation and mark the October 7 attacks, Worthy News reported earlier.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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