Tisha B'Av is not just about mourning but preserving the Jewish people – opinion

Tisha B'Av, a day of mourning the destruction of the Temples and subsequent calamities, holds particular urgency this year amid significant tumult within the Jewish people. With looming elections in Israel and the U.S., debates over security, democracy, and religious pluralism have intensified, often becoming personal. Simultaneously, antisemitism remains high, with Jewish students facing harassment and institutions confronting security threats. The article emphasizes that Jewish survival has historically relied on commitment to Judaism and to one another, a lesson exemplified by Maimonides, who navigated upheaval by preserving a common Jewish inheritance. The tradition teaches that the Second Temple fell due to "baseless hatred" (sinat chinam) among Jews, a warning that division weakens the people. While Jewish tradition embraces disagreement, the danger arises when it hardens into contempt. The author, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, concludes that Tisha B'Av is not just about mourning destruction, but about preserving the Jewish people by ensuring that internal divisions do not weaken what generations have struggled to maintain, especially when external threats do not distinguish between Jewish subgroups.