Tisha B'Av (Ninth of Av)

The traditional day of mourning the destruction of both ancient Temples in Jerusalem, which both happened on the same day of the year. Today, Tisha B’Av (TISH-a bah-AV) now includes remembrance of many Jewish tragedies that have mysteriously occurred on this very date:

• 587 BCE (Hebrew calendar year 3338) - The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians under the rulership of Nebuchadnezzar.
• 70 CE (3830) - The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans under the leadership of Titus.
• 135 CE (3895) - The Romans conquered Bar Kochba's last fortress, Betar, and destroyed his army. The Roman Emperor Hadrian turned Jerusalem into a Roman city.
• 1290 (5050) - King Edward 1st of England signed an edict expelling all Jews from England.
• 1492 (5252) - Jews were expelled from Spain.
• 1670 (5430) - The last Jews left Vienna, following expulsion orders.
• 1914 (5674) - World War I began (Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914).
• 1940 (5700) - Himmler presented his plan for the "Final Solution" to the Jewish problem to the Nazi Party.
• 1942 (5702) - Nazis began deporting of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto.