Israeli-distributed candies in the West Bank bear the slogan 'Here are some sweets because Hamas is making life bitter in the West Bank.' |
During
this prolonged conflict, ceasefires have come and gone and holidays have passed
by without peace prevailing. Tisha B'Av
offered little respite during this time but hope remained palpable as people
reflected on the loss, the strife, the anger, the fear. What are usually marked
as days unlike other in the surrounding blocks of the calendar, were a
continuation of the same emotions dominating the regional psyche. For Jews,
this was just another event to mourn during this sorrowful day.
Tisha B'Av, the
Fast of the Ninth of Av, is a day of mourning to commemorate the many tragedies
that have befallen the Jewish people, many of which have occurred on the ninth
of Av.
Tisha B'Av
primarily commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, both of
which were destroyed on the ninth of Av (the first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.;
the second by the Romans in 70 C.E.).
Although this
holiday is primarily meant to commemorate the destruction of the Temple, it is
appropriate to consider on this day the many other tragedies of the Jewish
people, many of which occurred on this day, most notably the expulsion of the
Jews from Spain in 1492 and from England in 1290.
It
is during these times of what is usually holy celebration and reverence when
the claws are drawn throughout the world. The back and forth between conflict
and ceasefire, holiday and conflict, has the world in an uproar for all the
wrong reasons. So who is to blame? Unlike many of the protests and ‘reports’
Israel is not to blame for the elusiveness of peace.
Every ceasefire that has been negotiated and strong armed have not been times for the people of Israel to break or the IDF to relax. They have served as perpetual countdowns to the
next rocket to sail over the boarder at innocent civilians. This FACT seems to
be lost on the world. However, as we have reflected on what has seemed like a
prolonged period of mourning, we have kept in the forefront of our minds that,
while the situation is tenuous, it will pass and be but a memory which we will
forever remember. We are strong, we will fight, and we will not allow the world
to destroy our land or expel our people. Hope will prevail and peace will once
again return to our land.
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