Fast of Ninth of Av in Israel 2024: Date, History, Facts about Israel

The Fast of the Ninth of Av, also known as the Jewish Fast of Av or ‘Tisha B’Av,’ is observed annually in July or August; this year, it falls on July 27. It is an annual holiday celebrated by Jewish communities worldwide. People fast, mourn, and pray during this period to commemorate five significant tragedies that occurred on this day in the past. The Fast of Ninth of Av begins just before sunset on the previous day and continues until nightfall on the following day, a total of approximately 25 hours. Whenever Tisha B’Av occurs on Shabbat (Saturday), it is referred to as a ‘nidche’ (‘delayed’) in Hebrew, and the holiday is observed the following day (Sunday). As it is a day of mourning and fasting, Jews refrain from celebrating, engaging in sexual activity, bathing or washing, consuming meat or drinking wine (except on Shabbat), and cutting their hair.

The background of Fast of Ninth of Av

The Fast of the Ninth of Av (‘Tisha B’Av’) is an annual observance that commemorates the five main catastrophes and tragedies that befell the nation of Israel on that day in history. These events include the negative assessments about the “Promised Land” provided by ten of the twelve spies Moses sent to Canaan. These reports induced hysteria, weeping, and despair among the Israelites. Other events include the devastation of Jerusalem’s first and second temples. The Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, plundered and destroyed the first temple built by King Solomon in 586 B.C. In 70 A.D., the Romans destroyed the second temple constructed by Ezra and Nehemiah, marking the beginning of a lengthy exile for the Israelites.

Also, on August 4, 135 A.D., the Roman army captured Beitar, the fortress city of the Bar Kokhba (or Kochba) revolt, resulting in the massacre of approximately 580,000 Jewish civilians. In 135 A.D., the Roman commander Turnus Rufus demolished the Jerusalem temple and its adjacent area, and in 136 A.D., the city of Jerusalem was destroyed.

Tisha B’Av is also used to commemorate other tragedies that occurred on or around the ninth of Av in more recent times. 10,000 Jews were murdered in the first month of the First Crusade, which began on August 15, 1096, the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290 and from Spain in 1492, and the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. In addition, on August 2, 1941, German commander Heinrich Himmler received sanction from the Nazi Party for the Holocaust, which resulted in the deaths of approximately six million Jews, or approximately one-third of the world’s Jewish population.

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5 Interesting Israel Facts

Israel is the only nation that has successfully revived a dying language and adopted it as its official language.

There are 137 gorgeous beaches in Israel suitable for a variety of outdoor activities.

The Jujube tree in Ein Hatzeva on the road to Eilat is the oldest tree in Israel, estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,000 years old.

The Israel Postal Service has a specialised ‘correspondence to God’ department that handles all international correspondence addressed to God and sent to Jerusalem.

It has been determined that the Judean desert is the smallest desert in the globe.

FAST OF NINTH OF AV DATES