The holy city slows down and mourns

August 10, 2008 - 1:21 PM by

Tisha B'av in JerusalemObserving Tisha B’Av in Israel is a somewhat odd thing for me to witness. Outside of Jerusalem, unless you are part of a religious community you’ll barely notice that it even exists. I’ve seen on the news these the past couple of years a reporter walking around Tel Aviv asking people if they knew what holiday it was today and most are oblivious of course and even when told it was “Tisha B’Av” they were clueless. Though it could be like Jay Leno’s Jaywalking where they most likely interview dozens of people and selectively edit the most absurd and laughable answers. Probably not though.

You can’t help but know that it is Tisha B’av in Jerusalem. Last night everything closed early – no restaurants, bars, clubs or place of entertainment remained open. Thousands descended upon the old city of Jerusalem to read lamentations and to mourn the destruction of the temple. Tisha B’Av has also become a holiday where Jews remember all tragedies that have fallen upon the Jewish people. More recently segments of Israel’s religious society have started to include the expulsion of the Jews of Gaza. In any case, for me, it is certainly a time to reflect on the long difficult experience of the Jewish people and to take heed and appreciate the nation that we have today – which will hopefully protect us and prevent calamities in the future.

Image courtesy of oligopistos from Flickr under a Creative Commons license.

Tags: , • Category: Holidays 

Comments

One Comment on The holy city slows down and mourns

  1. David-Joe on Mon, Aug 11th 2008 2:36 AM

    2. It is not as unimportant as the questions asked by Leno – a nation that forgets its reason for existemce is doomed.

    Israel can only exist as Jewish nation resting on Zionism, which is the physical manifestation of Judaism.

    If Israel forgets who it is then the will and the reason for existing will disappear. Nothing would stop Israel’s enemies. It is a nation’s will that sustains it.

    It was the collapse of who we are that allowed Israel to fall.

    If the temple ever falls again [as this the 3rd state of Israel was termed by Moshe Dayan] then it will be for the same reason and it will likely be the end of the Jewish people.

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