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August 4, 2000/3 Av 5760, Vol. 52, No.47
Valley synagogues mark Tisha B'AvValley congregations will hold services to observe Tisha B'Av, which begins at sundown Wednesday, Aug. 9, and concludes at sundown Thursday, Aug. 10.The date marks the culmination of three weeks of lamenting tragic episodes in Jewish history, beginning with the destruction of the First and Second Temples that forced the Jewish people out of the land of Israel for nearly 2,000 years. Tisha B'Av also commemorates the date the Talmud was burned in Paris in 1242, the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492, and the Nazi deportation of Jews from the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. Traditional observances include readings from the Book of Lamentations, a 25-hour fast and forgoing physical comforts. Chabad of the East Valley will hold a discussion and a reading of Lamentations by candlelight at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 6145 W. Ivanhoe St., Chandler. Call 480-753-5366. Temple Chai services are 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9, at the temple, 4645 E. Marilyn Road, Phoenix. Call 602-971-1234. To find out more about Tisha B'Av, visit the Jewish Theological Seminary's Web site, learn.jtsa.edu.tishabav. The site includes a debate between JTS chancellor Ismar Schorsch, an historian of European Jewish life, and David Roskies, professor of Jewish literature and an authority on the writings of the post-World War II era. The debate examines whether the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 offers a stark contrast to the image of Jews as victims. |
