Marking poignant Tisha B’Av, Israelis draw parallels to October 7 attacks
Crowds attend prayers at Western Wall, while thousands more gather at Hostages Square to call for captives’ release
Thousands of worshipers gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Monday night to mark the beginning of the Tisha B’Av fast, and to read from the Book of Lamentations, describing the destruction of Judaism’s First Temple, some 2,600 years ago.
Politicians joined the gathering at the Western Wall, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and National Unity party leader Benny Gantz.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett also posted a photo of himself at the Western Wall on X.
Thousands also gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Monday night to mark Tisha B’Av and call for the release of captives held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, bringing together religious and secular Israelis from across the country.
Under the banner, “United for their return,” the event began with prayers and readings of the Book of Lamentations, followed by discussion circles and the sharing of testimonies from survivors of the Hamas massacres.
A call for unity from President Isaac Herzog was screened at the event.
“I watch with great concern as these dangerous winds of division return to us even now, threatening our unity, our existence as one people in one state,” he said in the pre-recorded message.
“We are all, as a nation, facing trying days. We must stand and overcome them together, in partnership, brotherhood, and with love of Israel.”
In a statement released on Monday night, Gantz also warned of division among the people, saying that “if we don’t come to our senses, there will be a war between brothers” in Israel.
Describing concerning events of the past year, Gantz noted fights and disruptions on Yom Kippur last year over gender-segregated prayer in public spaces; far-right politicians recently leading protesters in breaking into army bases after soldiers were arrested on suspicion of abusing a Palestinian prisoner; protesters threatening to break through Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security; ultra-Orthodox men saying they would rather die than enlist while soldiers risk their lives in Gaza; and bereaved families and relatives of hostages being attacked.
“We have crossed the line of physical and verbal violence. This will end in murder,” said Gantz. “The patriotic Israeli majority must stop the hate and make amends. [They must] distance those who are tearing us apart from within, isolate the extremists whose drug is hatred.”
Thousands of synagogues across all denominations were expected to incorporate texts about October 7 in their Tisha B’Av ceremonies this year, leading some to predict the onslaught’s eventual canonization in Jewish liturgy alongside other catastrophes.
The fast of Tisha B’Av, which mourns the destruction of both the First and the Second Temples in Jerusalem, began Monday evening and lasts for 25 hours. According to some Jewish tradition, the destruction of the Second Temple was made possible partly because of division and infighting among the people.
This tradition is echoed by many who believe Hamas launched its attack on October 7 because it saw how polarized and divided the people were, mostly over the government’s highly controversial judicial overhaul in the year leading up to the attack.
