150 people celebrated Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah on the ruins of Homesh, one of four northern Samarian Jewish communities that was uprooted by Israel during the Disengagement of 2005.
Rabbi Elishama Cohen and members of the Homesh Hamithadeshet (Renewing Hodesh) Yeshiva learn on the site on a regular basis throughout the year. They were joined by 20 families who were evicted 11 years ago from Homesh and Sa-Nur, another of those communities. One of the Torah scrolls used in the Simchat Torah celebrations was donated by the family of Arutz Sheva Hebrew commentator Adir Zik of blessed memory.