Tisha be'Av Gathering
Tuesday, August 13  
10:00 am

Tisha be’Av (9 Av) is a somber commemoration that recalls the two times in Jewish history (586 BCE and 70 CE) when our holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed (first by Babylonian, then by Roman armies) and Jews sent into exile.  The occasion is marked by a 25-hour fast (this year starting at sunset on Monday, August 12 and lasting till nightfall on Tuesday, August 13), liturgical passages of lamentation, the recitation of the Biblical book of Eichah/Lamentations, and further expressions of grief.  Tradition tells us to refrain – the way we do on Yom Kippur – from finery and festivity.  The date is also associated with many other tragedies:  the start of the Crusades, Jews’ expulsion from several European nations during the Middle Ages, the start of World War I and of the Holocaust, and later attacks on Jews.
 
This year our Tisha be'Av gathering will occur against the backdrop of present, ongoing sorrow for the Jewish people as, after ten months of warfare with rising military and civilian casualties, Israelis remain hostage in Gaza.  The occasion will provide an opening for discussion of and reflection on parallels between those tragic events from ancient Jewish history and what is happening in Israel and the Jewish world today.  The session, also including readings and prayers, will take place in our sanctuary.