{"id":85921,"date":"2025-07-30T12:30:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T09:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/?p=85921"},"modified":"2025-07-31T14:01:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T11:01:40","slug":"tisha-bav-in-jerusalem-ancient-mourning-modern-echoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/tisha-bav-in-jerusalem-ancient-mourning-modern-echoes\/","title":{"rendered":"Tisha B\u2019Av in Jerusalem: Ancient Mourning, Modern Echoes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"466\" data-end=\"754\">As the fast of Tisha B\u2019Av approaches, Jerusalem\u2019s synagogues are preparing for a night that blends ancient lament with modern loss. Cushions are placed on the floor, lights are dimmed, Torah arks are stripped of their curtains \u2014 and the sacred scroll of Lamentations is checked and ready<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"756\" data-end=\"1017\">This year, the fast begins on a Saturday night, at the start of August 2025. Worshippers will gather at central synagogues across Jerusalem \u2014 from &#8220;Yad Mordechai&#8221; to &#8220;Medor LeDor,&#8221; &#8220;Sha\u2019ar Menachem&#8221; to &#8220;Yagel Yaakov&#8221; \u2014 as the city prepares to sit low and mourn<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"1019\" data-end=\"1474\"><strong data-start=\"1019\" data-end=\"1062\">Old destruction meets present-day grief<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1019\" data-end=\"1474\">The evening rituals follow tradition: sitting on low benches or on the floor, reading Eicha, chanting kinot \u2014 poems of sorrow \u2014 and remembering the destruction of the First and Second Temples. But in today\u2019s Israel, those ancient words strike new chords. Since October 7, 2023, the grief of a nation burned into its consciousness \u2014 and into the walls of homes in the south \u2014 gives these verses heavier weight<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1019\" data-end=\"1474\">\n<p><iframe title=\"\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d4\u05db\u05e0\u05e1\u05ea \u05d7\u05e1\u05d3 \u05d5\u05e8\u05d7\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05e9\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd (\u05e6\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05dd: \u05e9\u05de\u05e2\u05d5\u05df \u05d2\u05de\u05dc\u05d9\u05d0\u05dc)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SofxE7L74x4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1476\" data-end=\"2071\">In synagogues citywide, preparations reflect care and attentiveness. Booklets of kinot have been enlarged and translated, air conditioners checked, and prayer leaders coordinated. In the Ades Synagogue near Nachlaot, local cantors have rehearsed. At secular-traditional communities like \u201cYaakov Menachem,\u201d the night will include Hebrew poetry, song, and open discussion on the meaning of destruction in today\u2019s world. \u201cYeshurun\u201d on King George Street released a detailed schedule for the night, while the historic \u201cHurva\u201d Synagogue in the Old City will host lessons, readings, and conversations<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2073\" data-end=\"2324\"><strong data-start=\"2073\" data-end=\"2109\">An ancient longing for Jerusalem<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"2073\" data-end=\"2324\">From North African and Balkan synagogues to Ethiopian congregations, communities are drawing out traditional kinot that reflect centuries of longing for Jerusalem \u2014 some composed long before arriving in the land<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2326\" data-end=\"2588\">But this year, the verses in Eicha \u2014 \u201cBecause of our sins we were exiled from our land&#8230;\u201d \u2014 feel less like theology and more like warning. A warning of failed leadership, missed chances, and disconnection. A people drifting, hurting, and unable to find comfort<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2326\" data-end=\"2588\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">(<a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/skunk-spray-in-draft-law-protests-jerusalem-stinks-again\/\">Skunk Spray in Draft Law Protests \u2013 Jerusalem Stinks Again<\/a>)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2590\" data-end=\"2851\"><strong data-start=\"2590\" data-end=\"2632\">\u201cIt\u2019s not just about the past anymore\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"2590\" data-end=\"2851\">\u201cIt\u2019s not just about what was destroyed,\u201d says Shaul, a longtime worshipper at \u201cBeit HaYetomim,\u201d also known as the Underground Fighters Synagogue. \u201cWhen I read \u2018How the city sits solitary,\u2019 I feel it\u2019s about us now<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2853\" data-end=\"3235\">And as night falls and the fast begins, a hush will cover the city. Across Jerusalem, the ancient words will rise once more: \u201cAll who pursued her overtook her between the straits.\u201d This time, between the ruins of temples and the ruins of homes in the Gaza Envelope, the despair of 50 kidnapped still held captive \u2014 maybe, just maybe, a crack of hope remains. Narrow. But unyielding<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Synagogues across Jerusalem prepare for a day of sorrow \u2014 with cushions, candles, and echoes of October 7<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":85922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Tisha B\u2019Av in Jerusalem: Ancient Mourning, Modern Echoes","_seopress_titles_desc":"Synagogues across Jerusalem prepare for a day of sorrow \u2014 with cushions, candles, and echoes of October 7","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10327,9320,10346],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-85921","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-breaking","8":"category-jerusalem-news","9":"category-religion-judaism"},"acf":{"subtitle":"Synagogues across Jerusalem prepare for a day of sorrow \u2014 with cushions, candles, and echoes of October 7"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerusalem-online.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}