The community of Shlomit is rebuilding its future after Simchat Torah/October 7, 2023. Four members of its volunteer security team, Aviad, Reuven, Bechor and Oriel, z”l, lost their lives while defending a neighbouring community and helping save hundreds of others. 

Today, Shlomit is looking toward the future, with a new synagogue and cultural centre being built along Israel’s southern border. The Shlomit Beit Midrash, supported through this year’s Friends of JNF Canada Hamilton Negev Dinner, will be a place for Torah learning, prayer, community and Jewish life for the young families who call Shlomit home. 

We are inviting our communities across Canada to help bring a Sefer Torah to Shlomit. The Sefer Torah will be written by a sofer who lives in Shlomit, allowing this initiative to further support the local community while bringing a sacred Torah to its new home. It is a meaningful way to honour a loved one, celebrate a birth, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, wedding or other milestone, and create a lasting connection between your family and Israel. 

As we celebrate the New Year and Simchat Torah, this is a particularly meaningful time to strengthen our connection to Torah and to Jewish communities in Israel.