Hakafot Shniyut at Shaarei Eliyahu Fill Yaffa Restaurant on 108th Street

Music filled Yaffa Restaurant on 108th Street in Forest Hills as Rav Yosef Akilov and his Rebbetzin joined Congregation Shaarei Eliyahu for Hakafot Shniyut—the second round of Simchat Torah celebrations that many communities hold after the holiday itself.

The Bukharian Jewish Link published a photo-heavy community report on Oct. 7, 2026, describing spirited song and dancing that carried Simchat Torah energy into the evening with warmth, simchah, and a strong sense of achdut. The Link’s coverage does not quote speakers or give an attendance figure; this report sticks to what that brief account and the congregation’s public profile confirm.

Shaarei Eliyahu was founded in 2011 under Rabbi Yosef Akilov, who was born in Samarkand and immigrated to the United States in 1996. According to the congregation’s website, communal High Holiday gatherings for the community began as early as 2002, and the rabbi earlier led youth Shabbat services at Beth Gavriel before establishing the independent kehillah. The synagogue offers weekly Gemara and parasha classes and publishes a weekly “Table Talk” based on Rabbi Akilov’s shiurim.

Holding second hakafot at a familiar Forest Hills restaurant on “Bukharian Broadway” underscores how the kehillah marks the close of the fall holiday cycle with music and communal joy beyond the synagogue walls.

Sources: Bukharian Jewish Link; Shaarei Eliyahu. AI-generated editorial illustration accompanying this report; not a documentary photograph or official promotional image.