As Jews prepare to observe the saddest holiday on the Hebrew calendar, Tisha B’Av, our President and Global CEO Yael Eckstein writes about how suffering and resilience go hand-in-hand in an op-ed with Christian Daily.
In recent years, Tisha B’Av has felt especially heavy. Israel is still healing from the horrors of October 7, 2023. Families are still grieving. Communities are still rebuilding. And the wounds of our nation are still raw.
Tisha B’Av teaches us that Jewish suffering is not new. But it also teaches us that Jewish resilience is unending.
One of the most powerful truths of Tisha B’Av is that even in destruction, God’s presence remains. The rabbis teach that when the Temple burned, the Shechinah (God’s divine presence) went into exile with us. He did not leave us. He walked with us.
This is the heart of Jewish faith: God is with us in our tears, with us in our rebuilding, and with us in every chapter of our story.
It is a truth our Christian friends understand deeply. Both of our traditions teach that God draws near to the brokenhearted, restores what is lost, and turns mourning into hope.
