Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the Jewish holiday of Tish’a B’av, which commemorates the destruction of Jerusalem’s ancient temple (the Second Temple) by the Romans in the year 70, and other historic tragedies.
Tisha B’Av
The Latest
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Life Should Tel Aviv Restaurants Close For Tisha B’Av?
Should restaurants, bars and coffee houses remain open on the fast of Tisha B’Av, which marks the destruction of the Temple and other calamities throughout Jewish history? Former Tel Aviv city councilman Haim Goren, a member of the Jewish Home party, believes so. Earlier this month, he posted a video on Facebook asking local eateries…
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Life Top Nine Holocaust Movies To Watch On The Ninth Of Av
If you’re a graduate of the traditional Jewish summer camp system, you probably think of Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av, the commemoration of the destruction of the Temple, as “Holocaust Movie Day.” Observant Jews dwell on mourning on the Ninth of Av. Not only do we fast and refrain from any bodily pleasures, but…
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Food Why Some Jews Won’t Eat Meat This Week
This week may not be the best week to fire up the grill for your Jewish friends, as some Jews won’t be eating meat this week. On the Jewish calendar, it’s the Hebrew month of Av — and when Av enters, we ‘decrease our joy,’ as per the Talmud (Mishnah, Taanis 26b). As any carnivore…
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Fast Forward Madonna Commemorates Tisha B’Av With Shirtless Photo
Madonna observed Tisha B’Av in the way that only she could, posting this photo on Instagram for her 9.8 million followers: 9th of Av. ??This is a Day to stay inside. ???lay low. ⛱ Keep Quiet? ??. A post shared by Madonna (@madonna) on Jul 31, 2017 at 8:36am PDT Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction…
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Opinion This Tisha B’Av, I’ll Mourn For The Destruction Of Jewish Unity
When the Israeli government announced its decision last month to halt the construction and planning of a pluralistic prayer space near the Western Wall, the outcry from the Diaspora Jewish community was enormous. The proposed plan didn’t even offer a shared space at the Western Wall; it referred to an area further south by Robinson’s…
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Community The Jewish Art Of Mastering Your Perspective
A version of this article originally appeared in the Texas Jewish Post. Our world has changed so drastically in the last 100 years — and the rabbinate, an institution better known for its constancy than its elasticity, has followed suit. The community rav, that learned individual principally appointed to answer the community’s questions about kosher…
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Opinion Why We Are Spending Tisha B’Av At An Immigrant Detention Center
Jews know something about the immigrant experience. We know what it means to be a stranger, an unwelcome resident sometimes tolerated but always in danger of being uprooted and forced to become refugees. Whether we’re marking the Jews’ exile from the Land of Israel following the destruction of the Second Temple, or mourning our exile…
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Culture Everything You Need to Know About Judaism’s Saddest Day of the Year
Tisha b’Av, the Ninth of Av, is the commemoration of the destruction of Jerusalem’s Temple. And it’s also, basically, Catastrophe Day for the Jews. It’s the day we consolidate all of our thousands of years of sorrow into one, 25-hour long inferno. Here’s what traditional Jews are mourning on this day, according to the Mishnah…
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