Gilad Erdan, as minister of public security, and Chief Superintendent Yoram Halevi, as Jerusalem District Police commander, decided at the time to exploit the window of opportunity and correct a historical injustice – gradually opening the door to Jewish prayers on the Mount, something that had been denied them since the Six-Day War. During their tenure, the number of visitors to the site grew, and silent prayers in a minyan began on the eastern side of the Mount, with police permission. Gradually, prayers were expanded and said aloud rather than whispered; visitor numbers also increased, now reaching nearly 60,000 annually.

Video: Just a decade and a half ago, only a few thousand Jews visited the Mount annually, and now there's been a growth of more than 1,000% / Credit: Arnon Segal

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir expanded and further established this Jewish achievement. Prayers expanded even more, but were joined by prostrations, flag waving, and even public singing by worshippers. Jewish visiting hours on the Mount also increased slightly.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accompanies this change in the issue of Jewish prayer on the Mount not only with knowledge, but often with approval, through quiet agreements and understandings, both with police leadership and with ministers responsible for the police. Even Jordan's protests – whose security and intelligence cooperation with Israel is well-known – are a kind of game. It continues to protest vigorously, and sometimes with venom, about "violating the status quo," although de facto it accepts it.

The status quo on the Mount died long ago. The Waqf knows this, the Palestinians know this, Jordan knows this, and Netanyahu knows this, too. Even the US knows this. Those who overturned the status quo and changed it over decades were the Muslim side, and then came the Jewish side's turn. Just a decade and a half ago, only a few thousand Jews visited the Mount annually, and now there's been a growth of more than 1,000%. Just a decade and a half ago, police would remove Jews from the Mount who whispered prayers quietly, and today they pray there aloud, in a minyan, with singing and prostration.

So perhaps it's finally time to stop pretending there's a status quo, formally legitimize historical distortions that deprived the Jewish side, and expose the massive substantive changes the Muslim side carried out on the Mount, which have been reported here repeatedly over the years.

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Here's a reminder of what has befallen the Jewish people on this date through the ages:

The sin of the spies

The first event cited by the sages is the divine decree that the generation of the Exodus would die in the desert, following the sin of the spies. According to rabbinic tradition, on the night of Tisha B'Av, the Israelites cried over their fear they would never enter the Promised Land. God responded: "You wept for nothing, I will make this a day of weeping for generations." This was the first seed of collective Jewish sorrow tied to the date.

The First Temple's destruction

The First Temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed on Tisha B'Av in 422 BCE (according to Jewish tradition) by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. This marked the end of the initial period of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel and the beginning of the Babylonian exile. The destruction was perceived both as a national catastrophe and a theological crisis.

The Second Temple's destruction

Roughly 650 years later, on Tisha B'Av in the year 70 CE, the Romans destroyed the Second Temple following the Great Revolt. Roman general Titus led the legions that crushed the renewed Jewish independence. This destruction is the central event commemorated by the current fast, and Jewish mourning on this day has preserved its memory for nearly two millennia.

The fall of Beitar

During the Bar Kochba revolt, about 65 years after the destruction of the Second Temple, the city of Beitar - the last stronghold of the Jewish rebels, also fell on Tisha B'Av, according to rabbinic sources. Maimonides wrote that the belief held by many that Bar Kochba was the Messiah turned into a cruel disappointment. Around 800,000 Jews were killed, enslaved, or exiled. The revolt ended in utter failure.

The plowing of Jerusalem

According to Maimonides, on Tisha B'Av, the Roman commander Turnus Rufus plowed the Temple Mount and all of Jerusalem. This act was viewed as a literal fulfillment of the biblical prophecy that "Zion shall be plowed like a field." The Romans rebuilt the city as a pagan colony called Aelia Capitolina and erected an idolatrous temple in place of the Jewish one. The plowing symbolized a brutal attempt to erase Jewish identity from Jerusalem.

Expulsion from England

On Tisha B'Av 1290, King Edward I ordered all Jews to leave England - the first large-scale Jewish expulsion in medieval Europe. Their property was confiscated, and any Jew who remained faced execution. The edict remained in effect for more than 350 years.

Expulsion from France

Sixteen years later, on the 10th of Av 1306, King Philip IV of France expelled the Jews from his kingdom. Around 100,000 Jews were uprooted, their synagogues and property seized by the crown.

Expulsion from Spain

At the end of the 8th of Av, 1492, the deadline expired for Jews to leave Spain, as decreed by the Alhambra Decree. This marked the end of centuries of thriving Jewish life in Spain. Many Jews were forced to convert to Christianity, while others left their homeland behind. The Spanish expulsion is regarded as one of the greatest tragedies of the Jewish diaspora.

Outbreak of World War I

On Tisha B'Av 1914, Germany declared war on Russia, initiating World War I. About 1.5 million Jews served in the armies of the belligerent nations. Between 140,000 and 170,000 Jewish soldiers were killed, including 100,000 in the Russian army alone.

Jewish soldiers often found themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield. In Eastern Europe especially, Jews were arrested or accused of spying, forced to prove loyalty to ever-changing regimes. After the Bolshevik Revolution, the situation worsened. Rabbis and Jewish leaders were persecuted under communism, and entire Jewish communities were displaced.

Antisemitic accusations surged. Some blamed the Jews for starting the war. US industrialist Henry Ford even sailed to Europe to claim the war was driven by Jewish financial interests and should be halted immediately.

In czarist Russia, Jews from Galicia were falsely accused of aiding Austria, sparking looting and murder in towns along the retreat. The war's end brought new upheavals: In Germany, Jews were blamed by the far Right for betraying their country; in Russia and neighboring states, they were accused of opposing the Bolsheviks.

It is estimated that 100,000 Jews were murdered in postwar pogroms during anti-Bolshevik campaigns in Ukraine, Russia and Poland. This violence triggered a mass Jewish migration to the US, particularly to New York City. The war was seen as the beginning of a descent that ultimately led to the Holocaust.

Approval of the Final Solution

On Tisha B'Av 1941, Heinrich Himmler approved a memo from Hermann Göring instructing the preparation of a plan for the Final Solution - the systematic extermination of European Jewry. From there, the path to Auschwitz and humanity's greatest trauma in the 20th century was short.

Holocaust deportations from Warsaw and Paris

On the 7th–9th of Av 1942, mass deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka death camp took place. Thousands of families were torn apart, their fates sealed. At the same time in France, the Vichy regime rounded up more than 13,000 Jews from Paris and deported them to concentration camps.

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National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was among the visitors to the holy site. In a departure from previous years, Israeli police authorized singing within the -Temple Mount compound.

Video: Singing on Temple Mount on Tisha B'Av on August 3, 2025/Credit: Arnon Segal

The head of the Temple Mount Administration expressed gratitude, stating, "I bless the thousands ascending to the Temple Mount for Tisha B'Av. You are part of the redemption process of the holy mount, and your ascents advance the return of the Temple. Through your actions, the people of Israel make progress on the Temple Mount. I thank Jerusalem Police under District Commander Superintendent Amir Arzani and David District Commander Deputy Superintendent Dvir Tamim for their extensive efforts to facilitate Jewish ascents to the Temple Mount."

Video: Itamar Ben-Gvir visits Temple Mount on August 3, 2025

Minister of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Isaac Wasserlauf also participated in the Temple Mount visit.

Video: Hundreds await to go to Temple Mount on August 3, 2025 / Credit: Tom Nisani

Thousands had already gathered at the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem on Saturday evening. Tisha B'Av represents the day when Jews mourn the destruction of both ancient Temples – the First Temple and the Second Temple.

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These five prohibitions correspond to the five restrictions observed on Yom Kippur, creating a remarkable similarity between these two days, yet a fundamental difference distinguishes them. On Yom Kippur, these prohibitions serve to enhance the individual engaged in prayer and the spiritual work of the day. Rather than expressing mourning, they facilitate an atonement process that elevates practitioners to profound spiritual levels. Conversely, on Tisha B'Av, these same five afflictions symbolize deep mourning and grief over destruction.

An even more significant difference concerns the origins of these two special observances. Yom Kippur appears explicitly in the Torah itself, constituting one of the established landmarks in the Jewish calendar cycle. Tisha B'Av, however, was instituted following the destructions, and when the Jewish people's exile concludes, this fast will be abolished.

We therefore examined the sources from which rabbinical authorities derived the rationale for establishing Tisha B'Av's five distinctive prohibitions. Understanding these afflictions' origins reveals that scholars derived at least several from mourning laws, particularly from mourning individuals. This applies especially to bathing and anointing prohibitions, which mourners observe throughout mourning periods. Although Tisha B'Av's five afflictions were fundamentally paralleled to Yom Kippur's restrictions, at least some derive from mourning practices. Notably, while rabbinical authorities compared public fasts to Yom Kippur's fast, mourning laws also contributed to establishing these two particular afflictions.

Eating and drinking – prophetic allusions

While Yom Kippur's fast receives explicit Torah mention, Tisha B'Av's fast appears through allusion in Prophet Zechariah's words, referencing the "fast of the fifth month," which rabbinical authorities indicate will become a day of joy for Israel's house in the future. Scholars understood this "fast of the fifth month" refers to Tisha B'Av's fast, since Av represents the fifth month when counting from Nisan, considered the Jewish New Year according to Torah tradition.

Sandal wearing – expressing mourning and spiritual humility

In ancient periods, leather sandals symbolized wealth and honor, while barefoot walking represented sorrow, poverty, or mental humility. Yom Kippur's sandal prohibition stems from expressing humility and spiritual lowliness. On Tisha B'Av, this prohibition primarily expresses mourning and sorrow. Despite different motivations, the affliction remains parallel, since ideological connections exist between spiritual humility and mourning feelings.

Marital relations prohibition – withdrawing from ordinary life

Marital life represents routines of joy, intimacy, and tranquility. Just as mourning individuals abstain from marital life throughout shiva's seven days, public fasts like Tisha B'Av require similar abstention. This prohibition expresses sorrow and loss that disrupt normal feelings. During public mourning periods, the prohibition intensifies, since marital relations sharply contrast with the general atmosphere and appear to deny the majority sentiment.

Bathing and anointing – derived from mourning laws

As mentioned, Tisha B'Av prohibits bathing and anointing, similar to mourning practices. This involves more than avoiding physical pleasure – it expresses sorrow and physical discomfort as mourning components. Jewish law forbids not only pleasurable bathing but sometimes cleansing as well, according to established mourning regulations.

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The Orthodox Union has introduced a new kinnah (liturgical poem of mourning) to be recited on Tisha B'Av, commemorating the tragic events of Oct. 7, 2023. Written by Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, the kinnah may soon become part of the the annual prayers in synagogues across the US, adding a contemporary layer of grief to the traditional observances.

Kinnot are typically recited on Tisha B'Av, the annual fast day marking various tragedies in Jewish history, most notably the destruction of both temples in Jerusalem. The poems express deep mourning and lamentation, allowing worshippers to connect emotionally with historical calamities.

Who would've believed a year ago that we would be adding a new Kinnah for Tisha Ba'av! pic.twitter.com/lAUJPEX7Uv

— Rabbi Tzvi Pittinsky (@TechRav) August 8, 2024

Hauer's new kinnah poignantly captures the horror and anguish of the Oct. 7 attacks. It begins with the following heart-wrenching verses, "For these, I cry and moan / outside, there is murder, and indoors, terror / in Be'eri and Re'im, Kfar Aza and Sderot/ our corpses strewn, nude and naked / bodies lying like refuse for wild beasts and animals / nursing children and the aged, young men and women / tormented by our attackers, enduring great shame."

The kinnah also reflects on the painful irony of the attack occurring on Simchat Torah, a typically joyous holiday, saying, The festival of Simchat Torah was transformed into a day of tragedy / the day we had hoped to celebrate the gift of G-d's truth to our People / instead since that day our eyes flow with tears, we cry and shake our heads in disbelief / the nation of the precious Torah who pursues peace and a flourishing world / is depicted as corrupt murderers by the world around us / the light unto the nations dwells in darkness / for this we certainly mourn."

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Over 1,500 Israelis ascended the Temple Mount on Tuesday morning to mark Tisha B'Av, the day commemorating the destruction of the ancient Jewish temples and other tragic events that occurred on or around this date. The significant number of Jewish visitors on one of the most important days to remember the destruction and subsequent exiles represents a notable increase from previous years.

Video: Jews ascend the Temple Mount for Tisha B'Av prayers

In line with the policy of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who visited the site along with Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, Jews were permitted to pray freely on the Temple Mount. Visitors were recorded singing songs expressing longing for the Temple.

"The Temple Mount is quiet and calm," said Asaf Fried, spokesperson for the Israeli activist group Temple Mount Administration. "We saw very few Waqf officials and Muslims. Jews are walking as free people. We recited lamentations and prayers for the well-being of the hostages. I invite all of Israel to ascend the Temple Mount." The numerous Jewish ascents since the early morning hours proceeded with almost no friction. Among other activities, Jews were seen singing the national anthem and holding Israeli flags. In a small number of cases, visitors were removed from the Mount or asked to take off visible tzitzit.

Video: Jewish worshippers prostrating themselves on the Temple Mount, Aug. 13, 2024, Tisha B'Av / Credit: Or Nehemiah Aharonov

Alongside the many visitors, MK Amit Halevi (Likud) also ascended the Temple Mount. He had requested to go up with the crowds but was ultimately instructed by the police to ascend alone. Rabbi Shimshon Elboim, head of the Temple Mount Administration, stated, "It's moving to see the people of Israel returning to the Temple Mount. Thanks to those ascending, Zion is no longer desolate. Thanks to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and the Jerusalem Police under the command of Commander Amir Arzani. Come and ascend."

Tom Nisani, CEO of Beyadenu – Returning to the Temple Mount, said, "It's moving to see Jews praying, singing, and prostrating themselves on Tisha B'Av on the Temple Mount.

"Those who wanted to see the Al-Aqsa Flood received over 40,000 Jews this year, strengthening Jewish sovereignty on the Temple Mount," he said, referring to the Oct. 7 massacre, which Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists named Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

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A new excavation in Jerusalem has unearthed a treasure trove of artifacts from the Second Temple period, offering a glimpse into the city's vibrant past and its eventual decline. The Israel Antiquities Authority, with funding from the City of David, is conducting the dig in a drainage channel that once ran beneath Jerusalem's main street.

Ayala Zilberstein, excavation director for the Israel Antiquities Authority, explained the significance of the find, "Small finds tell us a big story, from Jerusalem's heyday of prosperity and splendor when its streets bustled with life, until the city's ebbing moments during the rebellion against the Romans, and its total abandonment following the Temple and city's destruction."

The excavation has revealed a diverse array of items, including a complete glass vial, grape pips, 2,000-year-old eggshells, and ceramic lamps still bearing soot from their last use. These objects were preserved in the channel, which passed beneath the bustling markets at the foot of the Temple Mount and along the City of David.

"Into the channel's mouth were swept the detritus of the life above Jerusalem's main street; where they remained preserved between the walls just as they were at the moment of the city's destruction," Zilberstein said.

The accumulation of silt in the main drainage channel, filling it to almost half its height, indicates a gradual neglect of city maintenance. This neglect corresponds to the process of Jerusalem's destruction, according to Dr Zilberstein.

In the upper layers of soil, archaeologists discovered complete pottery lamps dated to the end of the Second Temple period, with soot still visible on their rims. These findings, along with a previously discovered Roman sword in its leather scabbard, may have belonged to rebels who sought refuge in the channel during the city's final days.

Deeper excavations revealed artifacts testifying to Jerusalem's wealth and splendor during the Second Temple period. A team led by Nissim Mizrahi uncovered complete vessels, including ceramic vials for perfume and expensive oils, as well as a remarkably well-preserved delicate glass vial.

Initial examinations of the pottery and glass assemblages, conducted by Yael Gorin-Rosen and Shulamit Terem, revealed an exceptionally rich and diverse concentration of vessel types. "Through this large variety of pots and dishes that accumulated in the drainage channel we encounter nearly the complete tableware set of Jerusalem's residents," Zilberstein explained.

The excavated dirt was sent to the Sifting Project in Emek Zurim National Park, where additional items such as coins, beads, and food remains were discovered. These findings, including grape pips, grain kernels, fish bones, and eggshells, provide insight into the ancient Jewish diet.

Laboratory tests conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority, in collaboration with archaeologists from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute, aim to examine the ancient dirt from various scientific angles.

Eli Escusido, director of the Antiquities Authority, emphasized the importance of these discoveries, "In these days, when the word 'destruction' takes on more relevance than usual, there is great value and it is important to look back into our past, to remember where we came from and what we went through, to connect with our history, and thus gain a broader view of our life here in Israel."

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1.

Each year on Tisha B'Av, we gather our national tragedies into a great sack of tears, sitting in darkness and reciting from the Book of Lamentations: "How lonely lies the city, once so full of people! She who was great among the nations has become a widow. The princess of the provinces has become a slave," (Lamentations 1:1). Throughout history, our adversaries have chosen this time, almost without fail, to inflict new wounds upon old scars.

Tisha B'Av is not a "religious" fast day but a national day of remembrance, during which we mourn the loss of our independence and sovereignty. The Temple was the crown jewel of the Jewish people. Despite Josephus's attempt to exonerate Titus, it was clear to the Roman army that the rebellion would not cease as long as the Temple stood. The burning of the Temple was a distinct Roman interest – not a religious matter but a symbol of national significance.

2.

Indeed, Josephus recounts how the spirit of the Jews was broken with the Temple's destruction: "The shrieks from the hill (the Temple Mount) were joined by the clamor of the multitude in the city. Many who were wasting away from hunger, too weak to utter a sound, found renewed strength to lament and cry out at the sight of the fire consuming the Temple..." The Temple vessels brought to Rome were symbols of our lost independence, and the victory parade through Rome's streets was intended to be the national funeral of the Jewish people. The figures in the reliefs on the Arch of Titus face westward towards the center of imperial rule, while their backs are turned eastward, for at that time, the future seemed to lie with Rome, while Jerusalem and Judea lay in ruins.

3.

Last Shabbat, we read how, just before entering their ancestral land, the people succumbed to their fears and heeded the spies' libelous warnings about the land, resulting in their wandering in the desert for 40 years. Our sages established Tisha B'Av as the night of great weeping when the people heard the spies' incitement. In doing so, they pointed to the sin of "rejecting the desired land" as the root of our national woes (as opposed to the sin of the Golden Calf, which was more religious in nature).

Video: Tisha Be'av: What does it mean / Credit: Israel Hayom

The generation that left Egypt passed away during the wanderings, and in their place arose a new generation born in the desert, who would ultimately conquer Canaan. Now, just before Moses bids them farewell and Joshua leads them to conquer the Promised Land, there is again a chance that the people might get "cold feet" and be unwilling to pay the price of conquering the land. Therefore, Moses strengthens and encourages them not to repeat the fateful mistake. This is the first topic he mentions in the beginning of his farewell speech. He knew why.

4.

Throughout our long exile, Tisha B'Av reminded us from where we were exiled to and where we longed to return. Those who fasted and read the Book of Lamentations understood that wherever we may be, it was not our home. At the end of the journey, we would return home to Zion and Jerusalem. Now that we have returned and established an independent state, we are required, especially during these days, to pay the price of our freedom.

Our enemies imagine that terrorism and threats of war will cause us to surrender and perhaps leave. The current generation of our fighters proves that the spirit of the conquerors of Canaan lives on. This year, we will mark this historic day in Gaza, in the north, on the hills of Samaria, and in the mountains of Judea, for a people that remembers the stations of its life will never retreat from the trenches of its existence. This is the profound correction to Tisha B'Av. With our own hands, we are writing a new chapter in history. The people of Israel live!

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At ten months distance from this country's contemporary national catastrophe of Tisha B'Av magnitude, the Hamas invasion of Simchat Torah 5784 (also known as the "Black Sabbath" of Oct. 7), and just a few days before commemoration of the ancient Tisha B'Av disasters (destruction of the First and Second Jewish Commonwealths in 586 BCE and 70 CE) – it is time for introspection.

This soul-searching is compounded by the current moment of vulnerability and unpredictability, as the country waits for an Iranian attack. Israelis question their own resilience and point wagging fingers at their political antagonists.

But has not this heightened capacity for self-criticism gone too far? Is it not time to reenergize Israeli national spirit with a little historical perspective? Might Israelis allow themselves the grace of recognizing the elemental goodness of their society, the essential morality of the Jewish return to Zion, their still-overwhelming successes, and yes, their still-overwhelming strengths?

What better moment than Tisha B'Av to remind oneself of the Biblical warnings against the politics of defamation? Such politics have been tried before in this country with disastrous and tragic results.

What better moment than Tisha B'Av to remind yourself of the manifold good works done by Israelis of all stripes and classes? These are acts of loving kindness and boundless generosity that range from everyday cancer care for kids to high philanthropy for the arts, from immigrant absorption to roadside assistance, from aid to war widows and orphans to support for displaced pioneers of northern and southern Israel.

And there are the enormous heroic sacrifices of IDF soldiers and their families, including tens of thousands of wounded and recovering young men and women.

There is great heart in Israel. The challenge is to maximize heart and minimize hatred.

Doing so requires a capacity for self-criticism and a hefty dose of humility.

Alas, in Israel these days humility is in short supply. The rich and the successful, the politically powerful and the ideologically super-charged, exude overbearing self-confidence that leaves no room for self-doubt, change, or compromise. Israelis are, as a rule, unrepentantly certain that their individual viewpoint is categorically correct, barring all others.

Moderation, nuance, restraint, and reasonableness have become orphan concepts in this country's political landscape. The prevailing culture is kasach — unbridled, untamed confrontation. It is no wonder that there are no exact Hebrew translations for the words 'civility' and 'subtlety.' Israelis do not fully grasp the words or know how to apply them.

Yes, Israelis are divided by genuine ideological fault lines. But it should be possible to draw a line between policy disagreement and verbal political violence; between a legitimate argument and illegitimate character assassination; between legislation that is meant for the greater good and lawmaking meant to punish, demean, and crush the rival camp.

This is especially true at wartime. There is a specific Biblical commandment (Deuteronomy 23:10) to eschew "every evil thing" when going to war, and many sages interpret this mean avoidance of evil tongue, malicious gossip, treacherous mud-slinging, and debilitating demagoguery. The midrash (Vayikra Raba 26:2) warns that deletorin (informers, weasels, or slanderers) in wartime lead to defeat.

Nachmanides asserts that national unity at wartime and purity on the battlefield not only draws-down Divine powers from the heavens but even turns the entire "camp" (the nation or the army) into a holy vessel, into "God's temple" – no less. Conversely, he cautions, evil speech "causes the Divine Presence to flee the camp," to melt away from the Jewish People's frontlines.

The famous spade that Jewish soldiers are supposed to carry into war with them to shovel away and cover up their feces (Deuteronomy 23:14) is said to be a metaphor for fingers in the ear used to prevent oneself from hearing rotten, backstabbing talk that undermines the war effort. (See Talmud Tractate Ketubot 5a and Midrash Sifrei 119.)

"For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your (war) camp to deliver (victory to) you and defeat your enemies; therefore your camp must be holy so that He sees no unclean thing and turn away from you" (ibid., verse 15).

Part of Israel's post-October 7 national rehabilitation (which must begin now, even though the war is far from over) involves, as I say, some self-effacement and restraint.

It also requires rejection of despair and negativity, and the counting instead of personal and national blessings. After all, the Israeli economy is challenged but stout, families are large and supportive, and democratic freedoms remain strong. Indeed, in every survey, Israelis say that they are fortunate.

In my view, the happy Israeli mind also derives from a sense of historic purpose that still courses through the soul of the national community. And this purposefulness explains the sacrifice and commitment of Israelis. It is the crucial ingredient that make life in Israel tolerable and even exciting, especially for a people that has waited so long for its return to Zion.

So, on the eve of Tisha B'Av, Israelis ought to recommit themselves to a vision of the common good; to just a little less hacking at each other politically; to a touch more tolerance in education, more honesty in business, and increased philanthropy; to more concern for the widow, orphan and unemployed; to more reverence for heritage and Zionist achievement; to shared destiny.

Israelis, especially their politicians, ought to make this vow for the coming year: "I undertake to restrain my tongue, because over-heated rhetoric can lead to tragedy. I commit myself to the patience necessary to withhold too-harsh judgment of friends, adversaries, and of the country itself. I recommit myself to Zionist and Jewish values, out of an overriding concern for Jewish Peoplehood – davka (specifically) at a time of vulnerability."

"I pledge to emphasize the positive and play down the negative. I promise to highlight all aspects of Israeli buoyancy and act to reinforce Israeli resilience. I choose Zionist optimism over enfeebling elegy. We shall overcome!"

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On the eve of Tisha B'Av, we find ourselves grappling with a similar contemporary reality. An external enemy has dealt us an unbearable blow and continues to threaten our home. Yet, as history teaches us, the greatest threat to our existence is not from the outside, but from the division within ourselves. It is threatening to tear apart Israeli society and the ties and defense systems we've woven over the years with our allies, primarily the US.

Terrorist organizations observed the internal rifts in our society before October 7 and identified the security weakness this division created. As grief often does, the pain led to temporary unity immediately afterward, but the cracks have reappeared, and here we are, divided once again. The problem worsens when our internal struggles are broadcast to the world. The world is watching – not just our enemies seeking points of weakness, but our allies as well.

As someone living between Israel and the US, I can say with a heavy heart that even our steadfast and good ally is not turning a blind eye to the general chaos, and this impression worries me personally. I'm concerned about the day when the great US will start reconsidering its relationship with us and when it stops believing there's a future with us. We've already seen this happening in the Democratic Party over the years. Even those who prefer to bury their heads in the sand and think the world should mind its own business and leave us to ours will one day have to understand that in case of a multi-front war – Israel will need its allies by its side.

However you look at it, internal strife doesn't earn us any points or bode well. To the outside observer, it doesn't matter if the reason is political, moral, or ideological. You already know the solution to these nightmare scenarios. The word "unity" may already sound worn out to many of us, but today, it's more relevant than ever – not just as an idea, but as a course of action, as a lifeline for the country's existence as a lesson from the past.

If there's a beautiful example of putting aside differences for a greater shared goal, it's our soldiers. On the battlefield, there are no sides. Everyone sacrifices themselves and works together for the same goal. We must be worthy of their sacrifice and not return to the events of Yom Kippur 2023 in Dizengoff Square.

Words create reality, and change begins with actions. Each of us has a part and responsibility in this matter. Tisha B'Av must remind us that there's no guarantee of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel. Our stability depends on our unity; only then can we face the challenges and secure our future as a state and a people. We must learn from the past. Let's not lose the third temple as well.

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