Tisha B’Av

Israelis lament their divides, and cling to them, as they mark a holiday commemorating the toll of disunity

“Anyone who doesn’t know how to cry on Tisha B’Av is giving up eternal life,” a rabbi said in reaction to a far-right march set for the night.

Families of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip and Israelis gather for the ritual of Tisha B'Av at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, August 12, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

As Israel’s leaders spar and an Iranian attack looms, Jews see echoes of Tisha B’Av everywhere

“On the day we mark the destruction of the temple, I’m really really worried that soon we’ll mark the destruction of the State of Israel,” one Israeli posted online.

Ideas

My son died on Oct. 7. This Tisha B’Av, I’m thinking about how our greatest threat comes from within.

When the Jewish people are divided, their enemies take notice, writes the executive chairman of World Mizrachi.

Ideas

At a time of loss and grief, this Jewish ritual says you don’t have to go it alone

Culture

Why some synagogues are screening ‘Legend of Destruction,’ a 2021 film about the Second Temple, on Tisha B’Av this year

Ideas

Don’t think of mourning as the opposite of joy

Ideas

We need to talk about Israel. Tisha B’Av’s central text suggests ‘how.’

Religion

Opponents of Israel’s judicial overhaul see parallels in Tisha B’Av, this week’s Jewish day of mourning

Ideas

Jews and Muslims are fasting next week. Let’s hold the interfaith activities another time.

Culture

A holiday marking one societal rupture, Tisha B’Av spurs Jewish creativity amid another

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