Live: Tisha B’Av at the Kotel

By Ynetnews.com

A majority of the Jewish public in Israel declared that they intend to fast or, at the very least, to avoid going out with friends on Tisha B’Av, the day marking the destruction of the First and Second Temples, according to a Ynet-Gesher poll conducted ahead of the holy day.

As part of the self-examination and introspection of “unfounded hatred” (sinat hinam) within Israeli society, the reason Jewish tradition cites as the reason for the destruction of the Temple, Arabs, haredim, settlers, and Tel Avivians compete for the title of “the most hated” in Israel 2010.

The poll was conducted by market research company Panels and surveyed 505 respondents statistically representative of the adult, Hebrew-speaking population in Israel living in Jewish towns. The maximum sampling error is 4.4%±.

The first question asked was: “If it were permissible by law to open recreational spots on the eve of Tisha B’Av, would you go out to have fun?”

52% of the respondents said they would forego recreational activity on this day even though they do not fast, whereas 22% responded that they fast and therefore would not go out in any case. Another 18% responded that they would go out on the eve of the fast day and labeled the current legal status “religious coercion.” Another 8% declined to answer.

Breaking down the responses based on religious affiliation shows that a majority of all sectors either fast or, at the very least, respect the tradition of mourning on Tisha B’Av by not going engaging in recreational activity.

Tisha b’Av starts at sundown of the eighth of Av and lasts till the following nightfall.

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