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The First Temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. The Second Temple, built on the site of the First Temple in 516 B.C.E, was also destroyed, this time during the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. The destruction of the two Temples took place on the same day – the ninth of Av - about 656 years apart. These two events were so tragic that the ancient rabbis declared the anniversary of the Temples’ destruction a day of mourning. |
| The ninth of Av also happens to be the day that Jews were expelled from England in 1290, as well as the day that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled the Jews from Spain in 1492. Other tragedies have occurred on this day too. Any way you look at it, the ninth of Av has not been a good day for the Jewish people. |
Monday, July 14, 2013
Tuesday, July 15, 2015
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