Eve of Tisha B'Av

Police chasing away hawkers

Tisha B'Av begins tonight. It's the jewish commemoration of the destruction of the jewish Temple in Jerusalem twice in history ... on the same day 600 years apart. Sinai Hinam is the rabbinic explanation for these destructions. It means "unfounded hatred". "ungrounded enmity" .... which includes maliciousness, envy etc. Leftwing jews are using this as a warning over the nation-state declaration, saying the law would encourage discrimination, racial hatred, ethnic tensions and even apartheid. We foreigners can say nothing. We are at the mercy of the state.

On this day, jews fast for 24 hours. They start abstaining 8 days before. The Torah is not allowed to be read except portions describing the destruction of the Temple. They do not wear shoes and sit only on stools or on the floor. With the heat, it will be tough for many unless they remain indoors all day. Police have stepped up their presence today in anticipation of Tisha B'Av.  In fact I saw police chasing away bedouin hawkers in and outside Damascus Gate this morning. They usually clear the entrance on jewish feast days so that large crowds of jews can enter and exit unhindered, and police can run in and out unobstructed.

News just in. According to a survey, only half the jewish population will fast and observe Tisha B'Av. In fact more will observe Holocaust Day and Remembrance Day and more will fast on Yom Kippur than Tisha B'Av. Perhaps the Temple and its cultic significance is lost after 2000 years.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-over-half-of-israelis-tisha-bav-is-just-another-day/

Few people at Damascus Gate

At the Gaza border, yesterday saw more clashes with 4 arabs dead and 1 israeli soldier killed. Tensions rose again and Egypt had to step in to broker a lessening of tensions. I guess even though this does not affect Jerusalem, as nobody wants another war, still the tensions can be felt. Damascus Gate during the day was quite empty ... which is unusual on a Saturday.