Weep - and pray

Editorial

It is the holiday of tears. Tisha B'Av, observed this weekend, July 28-29, marks the destruction of the ancient First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. Only this year, the traditional holiday reading of the book of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah's soulful lament about Jerusalem's fate, has special poignancy. From the first eichah, the inexpressible sigh of sadness that opens the book, through the sweep of its powerful verses read in a distinctly sorrowful trope, Lamentations captures the sadness and despair palpable in Jerusalem today.

It recalls the historic potential for tragedy and the all too real possibility of calamity. It reminds of the nearly 10 months of continuous violence Israel has suffered at the hands of the Palestinians and the persisting danger of random attack. It illuminates Israel's intense feelings of loneliness and isolation.

"The city that was great with people has become a widow ... she weeps bitterly in the night ... she has no comforter from all her lovers; all her friends have betrayed her." These words of Jeremiah pain the heart and pierce the soul of all those who are Israel's defenders, of all those who are her friends. And they must goad us to act on Israel's behalf.

Israel needs us - our presence on her streets, in her shops, on her beaches. It needs our dollars for critical humanitarian services, as funds are diverted to the defense effort. It needs our voices to speak out against the pervasive Palestinian propaganda that has shaped world opinion. It needs our support in the U.S. Congress, as our elected officials consider critical foreign aid allocations and equally important sanctions to force Palestinian compliance with security measures, affirmed by the House and now in the Senate.

And Israel needs our prayers. We can mark Tisha B'Av this year by joining any area congregation in the traditional observance. We can recall the pathos of the past - and the innate promise of the future, adding our tears to the eternal river of grief and our prayers for the peace of Jerusalem.

As we have wept with Jerusalem, we can pray that soon we will be privileged to rejoice with her.

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