Tisha B'Av

Today is Tisha B'Av, a Jewish rememberance day. The fast began last night and ends tonight after sunset. The Biblical book of Lamentations is read on this day.

Tisha B’Av, also known as “The Ninth of Av,” is a fast day that commemorates the destruction of the two Temples. It falls on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, which usually coincides with late July or mid-August on the secular calendar.

The First Temple was built by King Solomon and was the most important place in ancient Judaism. It was destroyed when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. The Second Temple was built on the site of the First Temple and was completed in 516 B.C.E. Sadly, the Second Temple was also destroyed, this time during the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. The destruction of the two Temples took place on the same day – the ninth of Av - about 656 years apart. These two events were so tragic that the ancient rabbis declared the anniversary of the Temples’ destruction a day of mourning. This is the origin of Tisha B'Av. http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/tishabav.htm

 Many tragedies for the Jewish nation happened on the anniversary of this date.

587 BCE (3338)- The First Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar. The Jews are sent into what later became known as the Babylonian Exile.

70 CE (3830)- The Second Temple is destroyed by the Romans, led by Titus.

135 CE (3895) - The Romans defeat Bar Kochba's last fortress, Betar, and destroy his army. Bar Kochba himself is killed along with more than 100,000 other Jews. The Roman Emperor Hadrian turns Jerusalem into a Roman city.

1290 (5050) - King Edward I of England signs an edict expelling all Jews from England.

1492 (5252) - The Alhambra Decree takes effect, expelling the Jews from Spain and from all Spanish territories.

1914 (5674) - World War I begins when Germany declares war on Russia, setting the stage for World War II and the Holocaust.

1940 (5700) - Himmler presents his plan for the "Final Solution" to the Jewish problem to the Nazi Party.

1942 (5702) - Nazis begin deporting Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto.

Sources: Aish.com and "Jewish Literacy," by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.
http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/Tisha-B-Av-Calamities.htm

There are plenty of interesting sites on this topic.
http://www.ou.org/yerushalayim/tishabav/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tisha_B'Av
http://www.jewfaq.org/holidayd.htm
http://www.aish.com/h/9av/
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144558/jewish/The-Three-Weeks.htm