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in times of crisis, the government can expedite processes and accomplish tasks at an extraordinary pace.When the first families arrived, many of them described the first few days in a similar way, as the opening of a new chapter in their story. %u201cWaking up here, having slept a night in a place that for now I can call home, it felt like I now have a breath of fresh air,%u201d said one person. %u201cWhen you are living in a hotel, you are getting through day by day, but not really able to feel you have your own space or sense of home. Being here is allowing us to begin processing everything we have been through,%u201d said another resident. Another member said, %u201cPeople said to us that this is our tekuma, our revival. Arriving here is not tekuma %u2013 but it is the beginning of tekuma.%u201dThis project is remarkable in several ways. One striking aspect is the simultaneous need for both large-scale planning and attention to small details. At the macro level, there%u2019s the enormous task of constructing hundreds of homes, along with essential infrastructure like security systems, water supply, and sanitation %u2013 all at a cost of hundreds of millions of shekels. Yet equally important are the micro-level concerns, such as providing welcoming touches like flower pots and personalized door signs. The project%u2019s success depends on both of these elements working in tandem.In Gael%u2019s Jerusalem office, a map of Israel hangs on the wall. It shows yishuvim color-coded by their founding dates. This visual representation is eye-opening, revealing that despite perceptions of Israel as a fully developed country, new towns continue to emerge regularly. The events of 2024 forced Israel to rapidly create new neighborhoods to accommodate thousands whose homes were destroyed %u2013 both physically and in spirit.Despite the circumstances, it%u2019s deeply moving to see children at play in newly-built parks, beneath freshly planted trees, before they return to their temporary homes. For all involved in this project %u2013 the residents of Be%u2019eri, the people of Chatzerim, IDF personnel, and even those still held captive in Gaza %u2013 true success will only come when everyone can return to their original homes. But for now at least, hundreds of Be%u2019eri families have found a home.Thanks to Dov Bernstein for the drone photos of Chatzerim.Rabbi Aron Whiteis the Managing Editor of HaMizrachi magazine.A time to dance, a time to mournOn this unique Simchat Torah, over 500 communities will be united as we dance and we cry together. The Simchat Torah Project, spearheaded by Mizrachi UK, is the global project to unite the Jewish world and honor the memory of the 1,200 souls lost onOctober 7th and the hundreds since. Together, commemorating the eternity of the Jewish people and remembering those we lost, hundreds of sifrei Torah around the world will be covered with identical me%u2019ilim(covers), each one bearing a name of one of the fallen. From South Africa to Singapore, Canada to Chile, America to Austria, the Simchat Torah Project unites the Jewish world, dancing and crying together.635me%u2019ilim30countries175cities525communities