Multiple congregations and rabbis are collaborating to facilitate a community-wide Tisha B’Av observance on Aug. 6 and 7. Services will take place at Congregation Beth Shalom and Kehilath Israel Synagogue.
Tisha B'Av is a period of fasting, lamentation and prayer to remember the destruction of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem and other major disasters and tragedies that Jewish people experienced throughout history.
The community-wide Tisha B’Av service will begin on Saturday, August 6, outdoors at Congregation Beth Shalom (If there is inclement weather, the evening will be held indoors at the synagogue). Outdoor seating will be available, and those who wish may bring blankets to sit on.
The observance will begin at 9:15 p.m. with meeting and singing. Havdalah and a Tisha B’Av Maariv service will start at 9:30 p.m. The observance will include study and the chanting of Eicha (the Book of Lamentations) with English summaries that detail the destruction of Jerusalem through song and poems. The service will include beautiful, mournful melodies, engaging teaching, and a time for communal reflection on both painful times of our past and hope for our future.
Rabbi Larry Karol, Rabbi Jonathan Rudnick and Hazzan Tahl Ben-Yehuda are planning this year’s services.
The community observance will continue on Sunday, August 7, beginning at 5 p.m., at Kehilath Israel Synagogue. "Lonely Man of Faith,'' a documentary about Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, a rabbinic scholar of Yeshiva University, will be shown. The film addresses Modern Orthodoxy and how Rabbi Soloveitchik’s frustration and conflicts as a man of faith influenced the balance of tradition and tension with change. A panel of rabbis across our denominations will reflect on the movie and discuss how their respective denomination navigates change.
A Mincha service led by Rabbi Moshe Grussgott will begin at 8 p.m. and be followed by a 10-minute Torah lesson and a Maariv service. The conclusion of the fast will take place at 8:55 p.m., and light food for breaking the fast will be available. Rabbi Moshe Grussgott is serving as the rabbinic coordinator for this program.
To indicate your attendance at both observances, register online at https://forms.gle/DLHVctseR3dQtagv9 or visit kcrabbi.org, where a registration link will also be posted.
For more information, visit kcrabbi.org or contact Annette Fish, Rabbinical Association Administrator/Program Director, at or 913-327-8226.
