On the eve of Shabbat, every congregation in Sderot anticipated celebrating the joyous occasion of Simkhat Torah which fell on Shabbat, and among them was the congregation of Benei Menashe.
The sunset at its pace, the community welcomed Shabbat and danced along with the Sefer Torah, with everyone greeting friends and families and returned home. Each soul anticipated returning for morning prayers and celebrating the conclusion of the Torah reading.
After Kiddush, the sanctification of Shabbat with a cup of wine, red alert (tzeva adom) were heard throughout the southern parts of Israel, but that didn't shake us much as we were already used to red alarms. We were determined still to celebrate Shimkhat Torah.
Shabbat morning, as the sun rose on the horizon and everyone was preparing for morning prayers, and then something unexpected happened. Gunshots were heard all over Sderot, many thought it to be the Israeli Army, but it was not normal to hear such gunshots from the IDF in Sderot.
At around 7:00 a.m., the congregation gathered in the "Alfei Menashe" synagogue for morning prayers amidst gunfire. The congregation members were discussing the gunshots. The festive ritual prayers were to begin at 7:30 a.m. After a while, one of the members of the congregation, Tzion Singson, who came to pray, heard the shocking news that terrorists had penetrated deep into the city of Sderot. Hearing him, the congregation realized that danger was lurking everywhere in the city of Sderot.
Victim of terrorist Hamas brutality, dead bodies in front of bus stop near municipality library and super market Rami levi Sderoth which were seen by Khaim Touthang on his way to synagogue.
After some time, a community member, Khaim Touthang, who lives in the Casdor neighborhood, reached the synagogue and shared his experience on his way to the synagogue, on the way he saw four dead bodies lying in front of a bus stop near the city library, which is a few meters from the Rami Levi market, and some said there were soldiers on the way who told the residents to go back to their respective residences.
Video footage taken from khadashot bizman Hamas Terrorist roaming in the street of Sderoth and shooting innocent civilians We began to pray our morning prayer as usual, but after the Amidah prayer, one of the congregation members asked if we could continue our service as the Shamash was not present. The Ark of the Torah Scroll was locked and the key was with the Shamash.
Azarya Lhouvum, a member of the bene Menashe community, volunteered to retrieve the key from the shamash but was eventually sent back by security forces who warned him that danger lurked everywhere. Hearing this, the congregation resumed musaf services without sefer torah and wished each other Yom tov after morning prayers. Everyone returned home, and afterward, we couldn't meet again for the afternoon prayers as the terrorist organization shelled the town of Sderoth with a barrage of rockets.
On Motzei Shabbat, we heard news that the terror organization that infiltrated Sderoth captured the police station and killed 20 policemen, and also shot at innocent civilians walking on the roadside, and the bodies that were found on the roadside.
We thank God that the Benei Menashe, consisting of 120 families living in Sderoth, and also those who came to pray in the synagogue, which was not far from the street, were safe from the murderous act of the Hamas terrorists. We have no explanation than that it was Divine intervention, because not only the congregation of Bnei Menashe but also many synagogues that performed their Shabbat prayers in their respective synagogues were safe and unharmed, here we see how true the word of Khazal who said "ki eshmera Shabbath EL eshmereni" – "If I will guard Shabbat, Shabbat will guard me back."
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