Sat, July 17
10:15-11:30pm
Outdoors & In-Person near Bloor & Christie
Exact location provided upon registration
Registration Required
Limited Space
Free – donations greatly appreciated!
Rain or Shine (we have shelter)
Please join us for a powerful, contemplative evening marking historical Jewish loss and ongoing brokenness in the world as we usher in Tishah be-Av, the ninth day of the lunar month of Av.This date marks the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history. It is traditionally observed with fasting, refraining from wearing leather, and other mourning customs. (For more background, see here.)
We’ll pray the brief evening service and listen to the Biblical book of Eikhah/Lamentations, hauntingly chanted by community members. We’ll also sing some songs, kinnot (elegies), and niggunim (wordless melodies).
For everyone’s safety, we are following Toronto Public Health’s updated Guidance for Places of Worship, which requires that we maintain physical distancing, but does not require masks outdoors so long as physical distancing is maintained. If you feel unwell or have any COVID-19 symptoms, you must stay home.
Please bring:
- Flashlight
- Blanket, cushion, or chair for sitting (it’s customary to sit low to the ground for Eikhah)
- Cash to donate toward feeding the hungry, in keeping with the spirit of Isaiah 58:6-7, “This is the fast I desire… It is to share your bread with the hungry.”
- Kippah/head covering (if you wear one during services)
- Mask (optional)
Please note that washrooms will not be available.
Seating will be physically distant and there will be separate sections for women’s, men’s, and mixed (all genders) seating, from which you can choose when you register. Since we’ll be outdoors and not in a regular prayer space, there won’t be curtains between these sections.
FYI, the fast begins Sat at sunset,8:55pm, and ends Sun at nightfall, 9:32pm.