The most incredible image of all was from the huge Torah celebration at the site of the Nova Festival massacre.
By Hezy Laing
Sometimes its hard to fathom the incredible courage of IDF soldiers.
In a powerful display of resilience and faith, several IDF soldiers who lost their legs during the 2023–2025 war were seen participating in Simchat Torah celebrations across Israel.
Despite their injuries sustained during the October 7 Hamas attacks and subsequent battles in Gaza, these soldiers embraced the spirit of the holiday, dancing and rejoicing to mark the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle.
Over 5,500 IDF soldiers were wounded during the war. Hundreds of these lost limbs, with several dozen losing multiple limbs.
One particularly moving story was shared by Rabbi Areyah Kaltmann, who described an amputee soldier who insisted on dancing during the celebrations.
“The very act of rising—of moving forward, of declaring joy in the face of devastation—is an example of profound defiance, faith and healing”.
The soldier, who lost his leg in combat, joined others in a circle dance, embodying the holiday’s theme of spiritual triumph.
Despite severe injuries IDF Captain (res.) Rabbi Liraz Zeira, a Chabad emissary and reservist in the Paratrooper Brigade, also took part in the celebrations.
He was critically injured in September 2025 when he stepped on a landmine while preparing an outpost for Yom Kippur in southern Syria.
The explosion resulted in the loss of both his legs, and he was airlifted to Rambam Hospital in Haifa for emergency treatment.
Rabbi Zeira is well known in Jerusalem’s Nachlaot neighborhood and has served as a Chabad emissary on college campuses.
Despite his injuries, Rabbi Zeira made a deeply moving appearance during the Simchat Torah celebrations at the Assaf Harofeh Hospital, where he is undergoing rehabilitation.
His presence was a source of inspiration to patients, staff, and visitors, symbolizing the enduring spirit of Israel’s wounded warriors and the strength of religious devotion even in the face of profound physical trauma.
Meanwhile students from the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva from Givat Shmuel arrived last night at Sheba Tel Hashomer Hospital, where some of the returned hostages and war wounded are being treated.
Their they danced and celebrated with soldiers in wheelchairs in a spirit of hope, unity, and joy!
At the Western Wall, a special prayer gathering was held where wounded soldiers and civilians came together to express gratitude for their survival and pray for the recovery of their comrades.
The event was attended by Israel’s Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites.
But the most incredible of all was the huge Israeli celebration at the site of the Nova Festival massacre.
There an IDF amputee was seen raising his prosthetic leg in the air in a moving act of defiance and faith.
The site of mass death was transformed into a powerful testament to renewed life.
These celebrations were not only acts of religious devotion but also moments of national healing.
In synagogues across the country, rabbis acknowledged the pain of the past year while encouraging communities to find strength in unity and tradition.
The presence of wounded soldiers—some still undergoing rehabilitation—served as a living testament to the enduring spirit of the Israeli people.
Their participation in Simchat Torah 2025 reminded many that even in the aftermath of tragedy, joy and hope can still flourish.
