Watch the moving footage from the second hakafot across the country

Thousands of celebrants took part in the second hakafot on the night of Simchat Torah across the country, including Minister Bezalel Smotrich in Sderot and at Dizengoff Square. At the Western Wall, moving scenes were recorded of thousands of worshippers dancing with Torah scrolls. In Sderot, the police asked to end the event early due to unusual crowding.

Thousands of celebrants participated in the second hakafot on the night of Simchat Torah across the country. At a central event in Sderot, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Mayor Alon Davidi were seen dancing with the public. Due to extreme crowding and unusual congestion at the site, the police asked the organizers to end the event earlier than planned. Afterwards, Smotrich continued to another celebration hub at Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv. At the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem, moving scenes were recorded of thousands of worshippers from all walks of Israeli society dancing for hours with Torah scrolls. The custom, which originally began in diaspora communities, has become in Israel a symbol of national joy and marks the end of the annual Torah reading cycle and its beginning anew.