New York – Thousands of people came to the Jerusalem at the Kotel Saturday night to mark Tisha B’av, commemorating the destruction of the Holy Temples, Jerusalem, and the Jewish commonwealth.
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Tisha B’Av is the culmination of the Three Weeks period of mourning, in which Jews contemplate the loss to them – and to the world – of the Holy Temple. For many Jews, Tisha B’av is a true day of mourning, with many taking on the customs of mourners – sitting on the floor, walking without leather shoes, and not even greeting others. The day is also a 25 hour fast, beginning Saturday night and extending through Sunday after sundown.
Jews all over the world read the Book of Eicha, Lamentations, a Biblical book written by Jeremiah the Prophet, in whose time the First Temple was destroyed at the hands of the Babylonians. Although Babylon is long gone, Jews still remember the destruction, and the Book of Eicha discusses the conditions that prevailed during the destruction, and reflects on the reasons that it happened.
Many Jews will spend the entire night and day next to the Kotel, the last remaining remnant of the Temple structure, praying for the rebuilding of the holy edifice, where today stands a mosque. Many people are also expected to attend a special march around the walls of the Old City on Tuesday, and to tour the Temple Institute’s museum, where real-life replicas of many of the items that were in use in the Temple are on display.
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