Community observances of Tisha B’Av will take place Wednesday, July 26, and Thursday, July 27.
Tisha B'Av (the fast day that is on the ninth of the Hebrew month of Av) is to remember tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people throughout history. It is a somber day and a time for reflection focusing on themes of exile and alienation.
The observance will begin with an outdoor service on July 26 at Congregation Beth Shalom. If there is inclement weather, the service will be held indoors. Outdoor seating will be available and attendees can bring blankets or lawn chairs to sit on.
There will be schmoozing and singing starting at 8:30 p.m., followed by a Tisha B’Av Ma’Ariv service beginning at 8:45 p.m. Participating clergy in the Wednesday evening observance are Hazzan Tahl Ben-Yehuda, Rabbis Caitlin Brazner, Larry Karol, David Glickman, Beryl Padorr, Moti Rieber and Jonathan Rudnick.
The observance includes discussion and the chanting of Eicha with English summaries from the Book of Lamentations, which details the destruction of Jerusalem through songs and poems. This is a meaningful service with mournful melodies, teaching and a time for communal reflection on both painful times of our past and hope for our future.
“The 9th of Av, Tisha b'Av, is considered the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. For thousands of years, Jews have observed this day with a fast from sundown to dark the following day,” Hazzan Ben-Yehuda said.
“To me, sitting in community with Jews from all our congregations remembering that terrible night and so many other terrible nights since then connects me to all those generations who suffered through those events.”
The community Tisha B’Av observance will continue on Thursday, July 27, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Kehilath Israel Synagogue. The movie “City of Joel,” a documentary that follows an ultra-orthodox Hasidic sect as they wage a turf war with their secular neighbors 50 miles north of New York City, will be shown.
A panel of rabbis from across denominations will then discuss the movie. Panelists include Rabbis Mark Glass, Beryl Padorr and Rachel Rothstein, with moderation by Rabbi Moshe Grussgott.
A Mincha service will begin at 8 p.m. led by Rabbi Grussgott and will be followed by a ten-minute Torah lesson and ending with a Ma’ariv service. The conclusion of the fast will take place at 9:09 pm and will be followed by a light breaking-of-the-fast meal. Rabbi Grussgott is serving as the rabbinic coordinator for this program.
To indicate your attendance at both observances, register online by Tuesday, July 25, at https://forms.gle/3GPxvkboM9d1guoS9
or visit kcrabbi.org, where the registration link will also be posted.
More information is available at kcrabbi.org or by contacting Annette Fish, Rabbinical Association administrator/program director, at or 913-327-8226.