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Tisha B'Av

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May 20, 2026, 4:18 AM

Naso and Ruth : A Season for Reflection

Almost four years ago, in June 2022, I began writing a blog for the TOI. At the time, I did not imagine it would become a weekly practice—one in which I try to weave together the weekly parsha with...

Moshe-Mordechai van Zuiden

Nov 8, 2025, 6:35 PM

From now on, for everyone, Jewish tragedies must be commemorated on one day each

One People, one Land, one G^d, one calendar I don't think it is a good idea that secular and religious Israelis commemorate tragedies that they endured together on separate days. Secular and religious Jews should adopt each other fast. Unity is...

Justine Johnston Hemmestad

Aug 15, 2025, 7:19 AM

Another Tisha B’Av in the Shadow of War

My friend, the Nameless One, says the current feeling in Israel is depressing; and the gravity of his sadness can be heard in his voice. He says, “It’s very, very hot,” compounded with the fact that the holiday of Tisha...

Alexander A. Winogradsky Frenkel

Aug 12, 2025, 5:25 PM

Hapax: Redeeming the Captives or Not

Today’s internet and social networks allow anyone to express an opinion. My own work — writing articles and giving lectures on Talmud, Jewishness, and the Yiddish world — comes from my life as an Israeli archpriest, presently serving in...

Aug 10, 2025, 11:14 AM

Finding Light in Darkness

A sick child enjoying the bird show

While Israel Mourned on Tisha B'Av, These Sick Children Found Pure Joy" Sunday, July 7th was Tisha B'Av, one of the most solemn days in the Jewish calendar—a time when we remember our holy temple, our greatest losses, and...

Marc J. Rosenstein

Aug 8, 2025, 1:17 PM

The Jewish Power Blog: Mourning and Fasting

Traditionally, in a Jewish house of mourning, during the shiv’ah period of intense grief, there is always plenty of food; indeed, an important role of the supporting community during that week is to make sure that the mourners are...

Aug 7, 2025, 10:12 AM

Empathy and Tisha B’Av

Co-written and edited by Rabbi Neil Fleischmann Psychologists have been unable to agree on a standard definition for “empathy.” Some have posited it means, “feeling another’s pain.” Others have suggested it means, “accepting another person without judging them.” In my...

Aug 7, 2025, 10:07 AM

Christian Antisemitism in the Guise of Collective Jewish Introspection

This recent book by Holocaust historian, Dina Porat, explored Abba Kovner's group of Avengers

The prominent Jewish historian, David N. Myers has added his voice to the growing chorus of Jewish public intellectuals and Jewish Studies scholars accusing Israel of crimes against humanity in Gaza. Full disclosure: when I was a newly minted...

Aug 6, 2025, 11:09 PM

Messages in the Madness; Rise up for Israel

I’m sitting on my balcony in the hazy light of early morning, reviewing what is written in Parashat Va’etchanan. We have all read it many times, but every year it provides a new, deeper perspective shaped by the news...

Michael Zoosman

Aug 6, 2025, 11:06 PM

Bearing the Mark of Cain for Naming the Gaza Genocide

Note: This op-ed first appeared in the Jurist on August 6, 2025 as “Bearing the Mark of Cain for Naming the Gaza Genocide.” Jurist editorial staff note: “The author, a Jewish cantor facing backlash for calling Israel's actions in Gaza...

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