Simchat Torah is Celebrated in Jerusalem
One of the happiest holidays in the Jewish calendar is Simchat Torah, a celebration of the Torah. It is on this holiday that the annual reading of portions from the Torah is at once concluded and begun again
In the hundreds of synagogues throughout Jerusalem, congregants will all be dancing in circles with and around their Torah scrolls. Traditionally it is the men of the synagogue who make seven circuits, or hakafot, around the synagogue, while the women watch from their separate section. (There are a few rare synagogues where the women dance with the Torah, in the German Colony and elsewhere.)
Children are an integral part of the celebration: the synagogue will often give out toy flags and candy bags to encourage them to participate in the dancing. During the dancing, fathers often carry their small children or grandchildren on their shoulders.
Because each synagogue is different, some people enjoy trekking from one synagogue to another to participate in the dancing in each place. A side effect of this practice is that during this time, the young men of marriageable age are on display as they dance to the young women who are watching.
The night is concluded with a holiday meal, the first festive meal in a week that does not take place in the sukkah.
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