Introduction
As the summer [or winter] term draws to a close, the systems of formal
Jewish education shut down for a break and the baton is passed largely
into the hands of informal frameworks - seminars and camps.
It is, however, precisely during this time that we mark the solemn and
significant date of Tisha Be'av in commemoration of
the destruction of both the First and Second Temples. It has been a period
of national introspection and mourning for two thousand years, marking
the loss of our spiritual and national center, a date replete with meaning
- all the more poignant since the establishment of the State of Israel.
After all, this is the Jerusalem and Zion, the eternal city and capital,
without which our people, our country, has no heart.
Many educators would probably like to touch on the significance of the
"Three Weeks" and the Ninth of Av before the vacation; there are always
numerous additional requests for short reading material for camps.
We therefore bring you some thoughts on Jerusalem in Jewish Consciousness, followed by a selection
of liturgical, historical, interpretative and aggadic texts as they appear
in Chapter Seven of "Jerusalem Through the
Windows of Time", by Abraham Stahl.
Editors: Dr. Dov Goldflam, Gila Ansell Brauner
English Translation: Chaim Mayerson
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