New Synagogue Inaugurated in Homesh 21 Years After Evacuation

A new synagogue named after Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook will be inaugurated in the Homesh settlement on Wednesday, marking the Torah scroll's entry into the renewed community. The event, scheduled for the 5th of Tishrei, is expected to draw government ministers, rabbis, the head of the Samaria Regional Council Yossi Dagan, members of the Homesh yeshiva, activists from the "Homesh T'chila" movement, families residing in northern Samaria, and other guests.

The ceremony takes place approximately 21 years after Homesh was evacuated as part of the disengagement plan. Organizers describe it as a "thanksgiving" event celebrating the return to the settlement and its continued establishment in recent years. Festivities commence at 5:00 PM with the writing of new letters in the Torah scroll, followed by a procession at 5:30 PM. The main synagogue inauguration is slated for 6:30 PM, with a central rally and musical performance by Bini Landau concluding the evening.

Notable attendees expected include rabbis from the Homesh yeshiva and its alumni, its head Rabbi Elishama Cohen, activists who have long advocated for the return to Homesh, and residents and families from the renewed settlements in northern Samaria. Among the rabbis expected are Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, Rabbi David Dodedkevitch of Yitzhar, Rabbi Aharon Cohen of Yakir, and Rabbi Mordechai Shariki.

According to data from the settlement and the Samaria Regional Council, 16 new families have joined Homesh in the past year, bringing the total to about 30 families living in two neighborhoods. Some returnees are former residents who lived in Homesh before the evacuation, alongside young couples and families from other Judea and Samaria settlements.

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, himself a former resident of northern Samaria, urged the public to attend. He stated that the synagogue's inauguration symbolizes the ongoing return and construction in the area, emphasizing that 21 years after the evacuation, families are returning and the synagogue is regaining its central role. He characterized the event as a moment of gratitude for the settlement's journey and a commitment to future development.

Beni Gal, a Homesh evacuee and leader of the "Homesh T'chila" movement, called the event a particularly meaningful moment, representing the culmination of a two-decade struggle and the desire to expand settlement in the region. The organizers invited the public to participate in what they see as another step in revitalizing the community in Homesh and northern Samaria.