Hotoni at Beth Bechor in Briarwood Continues Bukharian Simchat Torah Tradition

This report was translated from Russian by Bukharian Jewish Post from coverage by The Bukharian Times.

On Oct. 5, 2026, Congregation Beth Bechor in Briarwood held its annual Hotoni—the Bukharian communal celebration that closes the fall holiday cycle after Sukkot on Simchat Torah and marks the start of a new yearly Torah reading. The synagogue has hosted the evening regularly for nine years since its founding, Rafik Sharki reported for The Bukharian Times.

Tables were set with abundant food and drink, and gold-embroidered Bukharian robes (joma) and silk scarves were prepared for auction. Rabbi Levi Abdurakhmanov explained that “hotoni” comes from hatan (bridegroom): in Bukharian tradition the day became a large communal event, and those who purchase a joma support the synagogue while taking home a token of the day’s holiness.

Honorees as Hatan Torah / Hotoni Bereshit—those privileged to complete and immediately restart the annual cycle—included synagogue president Daniel Aronov, vice president Rafael Iskhakov, Immanuel Kalendarev, Roshel Rubinov, Ruben Rubinov, and Yuri Iskhakov. Rabbi Isaac Inoyatov, 28, a New York–born rabbi who also studies at SUNY medical school, impressed attendees with a talk spanning Jewish and world history in multiple languages; Iskhakov praised how young congregants bring him questions that bridge religion and science.

Leaders also welcomed Samarkand community guest Ilya Mulodzhanov with a gift joma. Song, energetic dancing, and lively bidding on robes, scarves, and souvenirs continued late into the night; congregants did not go home empty-handed.

Sources: The Bukharian Times (Russian). Image: Adler / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.