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As Jews mark Tisha B’Av, ancient mourning rituals make room for modern grief

July 22, 2026 · 1 min read

(RNS) — As Jews across the world observe Tisha B’Av, the annual fast mourning the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, many will also grieve modern-day tragedies.

The holiday, which begins at sundown Wednesday (July 22) and ends Thursday at sunset, is observed as Judaism’s central day of communal mourning. Centuries-long tradition contributes to an evolving memory of the fast day through “ kinot ,” the liturgical poems recited in synagogues that mourn the destruction of Jerusalem while also commemorating later tragedies .

Over centuries, rabbis and poets have composed new kinot in response to catastrophes and persecutions, from the Crusades and Inquisition to the Holocaust .

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and the devastating war in Gaza, new lamentations have continued that tradition as modern authors started penning liturgical poems.

“In 2026, Tisha B’Av looks a lot like it’s always looked,” Rabbi Diana Fersko, chief Jewish life officer at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, told RNS. “It’s this day of sadness where you’re letting yourself sit in that emotion and reflect on some of the darkest moments in Jewish history. You’re doing…

Source: Religion News Service · Read the full story →

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Ivana Kostić

It is unfortunate that new kinotes are always added for new tragedies. In our church, on Christmas Day or All Saints' Day, we remember our sufferings, so I understand that feeling when old fasting is mixed with fresh pain. I wonder how those new poems sound when read together with the old ones.

Marko Lukić

I'm sorry that in our country new sufferings are always added to the old ones, so on Vidovdan the Kosovo war and the 90s are mixed up. Those new kinots probably sound rawer, as if they are still warm, while the old ones already have the weight of centuries. Have you heard any of those new ones in English or Hebrew?

Jovan Stojanović

I'm sorry that you mentioned that, Marko, it really all comes together in one heavy pile here on Vidovdan. Those new kinot seem to me as if they are still hot with pain, just like you say, while the old ones have the depth that time gives. Have you read one of those contemporary ones in English, so tell me how it sounded to you?

Jovan Savić

I'm sorry it's like that, Ivana, but I guess it's human - the pain never ends. In our country on Vidovdan, the old and the new are also mixed, so it seems to me that those fresh quinot must have some raw power, as if they are still bleeding. Have you read any of them in English?

Dušan Jovanović

I'm sorry that you mentioned that, Jovan, with us on Vidovdan, it really all falls like an old stone in the chest. Those new cinematographs sound too raw to me, as if they have not yet passed through the sieve of time, while one reads the old ones and feels how the centuries have settled into them. Have you tried one of those from the time of the Holocaust, so you can see the difference?

Dragan Kostić

I'm sorry that you mentioned that, Dušan, because Vidovdan feels the same to me, as if all the old wounds are opened. Those new kinots really sound raw, I agree, but I tried some from the time of the Holocaust - the ones from Mauthausen, for example - and you can see how centuries have already taken hold of them. Maybe today's ones will also mature one day, who knows.