Why I Am Observing Tisha B’Av This Year

By Zack Bodner, President and CEO of the Oshman Family JCC

Like most non-observant Jews—which means “like most Jews in the world”—I don’t usually observe Tisha B’Av. But this year, I plan to do so.

If you’re unfamiliar with this holiday, it’s an annual commemoration of all the worst events in Jewish history, piled into one day – the ninth of Av. Jews believe on this day, both the first and second Temples were destroyed, the Bar Kochba revolt against the Romans was defeated, Jews were expelled from England on this day in the 13th century, the Spanish Inquisition began in the 15th century, World War I started on this date, and Jews began to be deported from the Warsaw Ghetto on this date during World War II. According to Chabad, the ninth of Av “is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, on which we fast, deprive ourselves and pray.”

Whether or not all these events actually occurred on this date in history doesn’t really matter. What matters is that we have a real date on which to dump all our shared trauma. It’s incredibly important for a group of people with a common history and shared destiny to have a day in which they can collectively mourn all the tragedies that have befallen them. To keep memory alive, we can’t just celebrate the good times; we must honor the bad times as well. Plus, psychologically, it’s healthy to regularly purge one’s sorrow.

Despite these benefits, I don’t recall having observed Tisha B’Av myself in the past. Indeed, when I wrote my book “Why Do Jewish?” I included a section on holidays and even then, I didn’t choose Tisha B’Av as the holiday to celebrate this time of year. (I chose Tu B’Av, which is like the Jewish or Israeli “Valentine’s Day instead.) But this year, I’m reconsidering that recommendation for the following reasons.

First, Israel is on the brink of an all-out war with Iran, and I’m fasting with the hope that it doesn’t happen. They’re already at war with Iran, but it’s being fought through proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, etc. If Iran decides to go all-in, it will be very ugly, many people will be hurt and killed, and I fear for friends and family who live in Israel.

Second, Israel still has over 100 of its citizens being held hostage by Hamas. I’m fasting with the hope that they will be returned soon and that their lives and their families’ lives can resume and the healing can begin. Because until then, all those people are stuck in purgatorial limbo.

Third, antisemitism is skyrocketing around the globe. The situation on college campuses last year was a disaster and I don’t expect it will be better this year; in fact, I fear it will trickle down to high schools and middle schools. So, I am fasting with the hope that the world will stop engaging in the oldest form of hate and that the situation, in particular for our kids, will improve.

Finally, the internal divisions among the Jewish People are as worrisome as they’ve ever been. Within Israel, the animosity of many citizens toward their elected leadership is at a boiling point. In the Diaspora, especially in North America, the split between those who are full-threadedly supporting Israel and those engaging in a different way, is red-hot. So, I am fasting with the hopes that these divisions can also be healed soon.

This year, I plan to fast for Tisha B’Av out of sense of mourning as much a sense of hope. I may also say a prayer or two. Care to join me?

This article was originally posted on the OFJCC Live Fully Blog HERE