Hakafot Shniyot (Second Simchat Torah Circuits on Motzaei Shemini Atzeret)

The Israeli custom of holding a second set of Simchat Torah hakafot — Torah-scroll circuits with singing and dancing — on the night after Shemini Atzeret (Motzaei Shemini Atzeret), when Diaspora Jews celebrate Simchat Torah. Observed in synagogues, IDF bases, and public squares across Israel, it expresses identification with world Jewry and extends the Simchat Torah celebration by one night. After 1967 the custom spread rapidly to religious-Zionist congregations, IDF units, and secular municipalities throughout Israel, becoming mass street celebrations in major cities. Diaspora communities with strong Israel ties (North America, UK, France) have adopted versions as an Israel-solidarity event, particularly in Zionist synagogues.