Tisha B’ Av Observance and Reading of Lamentations

Tisha B’ Av, the day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples (as well as many catastrophic tragedies over the centuries of Jewish exile), is the date on the Jewish calendar that carries the greatest weight of communal grief.  It stands as a container for our deepest mourning and most pained outcry.  It seems fitting that, this year, our observance of Tisha B’ Av should provide us with a place to bring our collective grief over the massacres and atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th.

We will be alternating our reading of chapters of the Book of Lamentations with personal accounts of the terrible events of that day, allowing ourselves to simply sit in mourning over the lives that were so violently cut short and the lives of the families and survivors who will never be the same. 

Note: While many of us are also grieving the terrible and ongoing loss of life and destruction of Palestinian communities in Gaza, this observance will be dedicated solely to creating a place for Jewish communal mourning for Israeli losses – not because the lives of Israelis are more precious or sacred, but because there are times we need to allow ourselves to pour out our hearts for those closest to us, and that need is real and deeply valid. 

No Registration Required!