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.

The post The dark history of Tisha B'Av in Jewish memory appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Known in Aramaic as Mandaʿeya (meaning "to know"), the Mandaeans practice a distinctive mystical religion that has endured for at least 1,600 years, concentrated in southern Iraq and Iran's Khuzestan province. Their global population has dwindled to between 60,000 and 100,000 people, with most now living outside the Middle East. Iran's Mandaean community consists of only a limited number of individuals who endure harsh religious and cultural constraints.

Let me introduce you to one of the most peaceful ethno-religious groups in Iraq: the Sabian Mandaeans.

Mandaean faced the same fate as the Yezidis and Assyrians in Middle East. They were persecuted by many religions for their beliefs and were forced to convert to other religions pic.twitter.com/kQIPTvlYKN

— namemellme (@namemellme) October 9, 2024

 Mandaean theology centers on belief in one supreme, incomprehensible deity and the cosmic struggle between forces of light and darkness. While rejecting the prophetic claims of Muhammad, Jesus, and Moses, they venerate Adam, Abel, Seth, Enosh, Noah, and John the Baptist as sacred figures, with John the Baptist holding the highest prophetic status.

Remarkable parallels to Jewish priestly traditions and Essene practices

Scholars of religion and biblical studies highlight compelling connections between Mandaean customs and elements of Jewish religious culture. They contend that the Mandaean faith "originated with the first human being."

Mandaean clergy bear the title "rabbi," their houses of worship are termed "mishkana," and baptismal locations are designated "yardena." The community employs concepts and terminology linked to the Second Temple period's Essene sect and language found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Consider "Mara Rabuta" – a divine name in Mandaean religion that appears in the "Outer Genesis Scroll" from Qumran. The Mandaeans identify themselves as "bnei nahura" (children of light), terminology employed by Second Temple-era Essenes. Their linguistic heritage represents an Aramaic dialect remarkably similar to that of the Babylonian Talmud.

#Mandaeans honor and respect #women. #Mandaeans belong to an #ancient #faith that started in #Mesopotamia #modern #day #Iraq and #Iran.As #followers of #John #the #Baptist, they're are #baptised regularly always in flowing water. This community uses #Penrith's #Nepean #River. pic.twitter.com/Y0MXmTbPsw

— Fabrizio Porro (@Fabrizi18363416) May 26, 2025

 Several researchers propose that the Mandaeans constitute a Jewish sectarian group that diverged during the Second Temple period – possibly from the Essenes or another Jewish faction – subsequently relocating to present-day Iran and Iraq before evolving into an autonomous religion with mystical elements. While multiple theories address the Mandaeans' enigmatic origins, scholarly consensus maintains that they "share Land of Israel historical connections with Jewish people."

A legacy of persecution and demographic collapse

Throughout history, the Mandaeans remained a modest community of several tens of thousands of adherents. They established themselves primarily along the Mesopotamian waterways, where ritual immersion and purification were possible, emphasizing ethical and moral conduct in worldly life, with a special focus on family relationships.

Iran's Islamic Revolution transformed them into a targeted minority. Unlike Jewish, Christian, and Zoroastrian communities, the Mandaeans received no official recognition as a protected minority under Islamic governance. Flight became their only option. Substantial numbers relocated to Australia, Sweden, Germany, and North America.

Since 1979, conditions for Iran's remaining Mandaeans have deteriorated significantly. They lack parliamentary representation and face severe restrictions on cultural expression and religious practice.

The post Iran's mysterious sect faces extinction and they might be Jewish appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

With the ascension of the new Pope to the Holy See under the name "Leo XIV," one of the most charged and ancient names in the Catholic Church returns to historical prominence. This marks the 14th Pope named "Leo" – a name that immediately evokes memories of persecutions, reconciliations, and confrontations, especially toward the Jewish people.

The first among them, Leo I (440–461), was among the earliest dominant popes who outlined the concept of Holy See supremacy. His doctrine positioned the Church as the successor to the nation of Israel – a concept that had direct implications for how future generations would treat Jewish communities throughout Europe.

Others followed different paths. Leo IX was among the architects of clerical reform (establishing the religious authority supremacy of the pope), and during his time, the ideological foundation for the Crusades began to form, which brought terrible disasters upon Jewish communities across Europe.

Leo X, son of Lorenzo de Medici (one of the most influential politicians during the Renaissance), was a renowned patron of Renaissance art, but his notable silence in the face of anti-Jewish decrees enabled numerous acts of harassment against Jewish populations.

Leo XII (1823–1829) stands out as one of the most antisemitic popes in modern times, distinguished by reversing progressive developments and turning back the wheel of history in the worst sense. He reinstated the Jewish Ghetto in Rome, banned Jews from certain occupations, and even forced them to attend weekly missionary sermons.

The last to hold the title more than a century ago was Leo XIII (1878–1903) – perhaps the first pope in the 19th century who demonstrated genuine tolerance toward Jews. He is regarded among the architects of "social capitalism," advocated for the protection of minority rights, and for the first time facilitated meaningful dialogue between Catholic clergy and Jewish scholars.

As a tribute to him, the current Pope selected the name Leo XIV. This represents a statement that continues the transformation the Church has undergone over the past century in its attitude toward the Jewish people. Yet when examining the more distant past, one discovers the aforementioned dark history.

Choosing a name carries symbolic weight, and in the Pope's case, it brings profound responsibility. It's the responsibility of someone continuing the path of a predecessor who first displayed a tolerant attitude toward Jews, but also one that echoes the troubling legacy of notorious antisemites. Precisely because of awareness of the dark past this name carries, the responsibility facing the new Pope, leader of 14% of the planet's inhabitants, is to ensure that such persecution never happens again.

The post Antisemetic history of popes named Leo appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.