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Tisha Ba’av

iceisrael August 2, 2017

Hi Everyone!

My name is Abbie Talmoud, I am in the Greater Washington chapter in Atlantic Seaboard. I am writing the blog for Tisha Be’Av. Monday July 31, 2017 started Tisha Be’Av, we got back to Ein Tzurin were we prepared for the fast to begin. At 8pm we all met back in the Shul were we heard/read Aichah. After that we watched a clip about why the Bais Hamikdash was destroyed. It said that it was destroyed because Jews did not love one another and that every kind of Jew basically mistreated each other ultimately causing the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. After that Yoni had us write on a piece of paper all the things we love and all of our hopes and dreams. Once we had done that our Advisors collected them and we went outside where there was a fire started. Ahava walked up to the fire with our notes and threw them in as she did this Yoni told us that this resembled what it was like when we lost the Beis Hamikdash. The loss of clarity. The night continued with singing slow songs around the fire. Then we heard a story from another advisor Shlomo, who elaborated on what the clip had spoken about. He said that we as Jews need to love each other no matter what. We then sang Acheinu where it really touched all of our hearts. The floor was then opened up to anyone who wanted to speak. Some people spoke about different struggles they had gone through in this past year and how they lost some faith but because of this program they where able to gain it back and become stronger Jews. The following morning we got up for Shacharit and kinot. Once we finished Shacharit we read/ heard the kinot but not all of them. Each Advisor went through one or two explaining them to us and giving us some sort of story behind it to help us better connect to what we were saying. After that we had the chance to sleep which we all took advantage of! At 4:30pm we woke up and went to Mincha and then got on the bus for the kotel. The Kotel is always an amazing experience. It is probably one of my favorite places. From the top of the stairs near the menorah we looked down at the kotel where there was 1000s of Jews and NCSYers sitting on the ground in 2 big circles. We walked down the stairs and immediately joined the circles. This was probably the most amazing feeling ever. All different NCSY programs, different Jews and non Jews just sitting in concentric circles singing and crying over the Beis Hamikdash and all the other terrible things that happened on this day. At 8pm the singing was over and everyone went to say Mariv. After Mariv we were taken to a restaurant to break our fast at this really good dairy place called Gregs. We all ate and went back to Ein Tzruin and went to sleep. This was definitely the most meaningful Tisha Be’Av for me and I am very grateful to have spent it with my new family on Israel ID.

Lots of love,
Abbie Talmoud