The parasha Noa’h (Genesis 6 to 11) highlights the transgressions of humanity, tells the story of Noah and the flood, and describes the construction of the Tower of Babel and the dispersion of peoples, the origin of different nations. The haftara (Isaiah 54:1-10) brings a message of hope and renewal for Israel, emphasizing the importance of the eternal covenant between God and His people.
Isaiah 54:8
בְּשֶצֶף קֶצֶף, הִסְתַּרְתִּי פָנַי רֶגַע מִמֵּךְ, וּבְחֶסֶד עוֹלָם, רִחַמְתִּיךְ–אָמַר גֹּאֲלֵךְ, ה׳.
“In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer.
During the joyful celebration of Simhat Torah, after disabling surveillance systems, approximately 2,500 Islamist terrorists invade the south of Israel and commit a murderous, heinous, and unbearable pogrom. In response, the Israeli government takes decisive measures and decides on the elimination of all terrorist organizations by the Tsahal (צה”ל).
In 1862, a community of Jewish soldiers is established in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Built (1) in 1872, the Soldiers’ Synagogue combines elements of Art Nouveau and Oriental styles. The facade adorned with a cornice rests on a bugnato-style base (2). Above the building, there are four domes, each crowned with a Star of David (3). A historically significant monument of regional importance, the Soldiers’ Synagogue has been in continuous operation since 2005.
1 The financing of the synagogue was provided by the merchant Joseph Markovitch Elister. The architect Ernst Ernestovitch von Schulmann and the builder Moïsseï Leontievitch Geronimus carried out its construction.
2 Bugnato is an external wall cladding style that uses bossages to create a pronounced relief.
3 The Stars of David on the domes, removed in the 1935s, were reinstalled in 2005.