Tisha B’Av Today: Activities & Discussions
Life since October 7th has been hard for our whole community. Here are a few resources which might be helpful for camps and campers. If you need any specific help with these resources or have ideas to share with the field, please email Avi Orlow at avi@jewishcamp.org.
Activity Guide For Tisha B’Av Post October 7
- Modern Kinnot written since October 7th
- Elegy for Be’eri: Lyrics, translation, and some explanation. Video of this as well.
- Additional Kinnot Since October 7th
- Antisemitism: How To Respond
- Legend of Destruction: A Movie
Frequent election cycles, the protest movement, and the “judicial reform” as well as other events in Israel leading to and following the October 7th massacre by Hamas shed light on deep internal divisions within Israeli society. This situation eerily resembles the catastrophic events that took place in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. Based on Talmudic legends and the accounts of Yosef Ben Matityahu (Josephus Flavius), Legend of Destruction presents a unique opportunity to illustrate the historical and religious significance of Tisha B’Av to the Jewish people. Learn More
Additional Resources
General Tisha B’Av Resources
Belong, By Noam Katz
We are excited to share a music video, Belong, written by Noam Katz in 2020 in memory of Allie Rae Edelsberg z”l. This song highlights the sentiment that “no matter who you are, where you came from, you are here, you are whole, you belong.” We believe this is a prominent theme at Jewish camp that is always relevant. Please enjoy the video, featuring Noam and many friends of Jewish camp, and then take a look at our conversation starters below.
Where do you feel you belong? How do we make others feel they belong? Here are some conversation starters to dive in a bit deeper:
- What characteristics make you unique and stand out from the crowd?
- Where do you feel most seen and/or heard? What can you do to help others feel the same way?
- Have you ever been made to feel like you didn’t belong somewhere? How did that feel, why has that memory stuck with you, how could it have been avoided, etc.
- What about camp allows you to feel part of a community? How will you re-create this feeling of acceptance at home this summer and beyond?
Border/Migration Resources
From the vault we have compiled a companion to our text and discussion resources to reflect on the ongoing North American immigrant experience in the spirit of the Three Weeks. We wanted to share other modalities to help you with campers explore issues of xenophobia and senseless hatred on Tisha B’Av.
For additional resources, please contact Rabbi Avi Orlow at avi@jewishcamp.org
