TPS: Samaria Synagogue Dedicated with Torah Scroll 21 Years After Disengagement
Hundreds gathered in Samaria to dedicate a new synagogue and complete a Torah scroll, marking a return to Homesh 21 years after its evacuation.
Jerusalem, 16 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Hundreds gathered Wednesday at Homesh in northern Samaria, including rabbis, government ministers, and public officials, for a thanksgiving ceremony marking the Return to the abandoned community, 21 years since its evacuation under Israel’s 2005 disengagement plan.
The event centered on dedicating a synagogue named for Rabbi Kook and the ceremonial completion of writing a Torah scroll, followed by a rally and performance.
Sixteen new families joined Homesh over the past year, bringing the community to roughly 30 families across two neighborhoods, mixing young couples with former residents who returned.
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, himself a former evacuee from a nearby community, called it “a great victory of faith,” while Benny Gal of the “Homesh First” movement said the 21-year struggle to restore Jewish presence had reached “special moments” after years that once seemed endless.