Tish'a B'Av

The ninth of Av is the day in which our forefathers rejected the Land of Israel. In the desert, fresh out of Egypt, the nation accepted the evil report of the ten wayward spies who said that the inhabitants of Canaan are too strong for us to overcome and that the Land destroys its inhabitants. The nation rejected the report of Joshua and Caleb, the two remaining spies who said that the Land of Israel is very good and that we Jews will defeat our enemies because G-d is with us.

G-d's anger was so kindled that Moses did not even ask Him for forgiveness, rather Moses only requested long-suffering, punishment meted out over time. The destruction of the two Temples on the ninth of Av was a direct result of the nation's sin in the desert.

In our generation, we are trying to rectify the sin of the spies and the nation who followed them. We CHOOSE Israel by making Aliyah, we fight for the Land by proclaiming our devotion to it in the face of enemies, and we pray with all our hearts for the day that our Temple will STAND again.

The following pictures depict a few days in the life of these ideals:

David Cohen, a veteran Oleh holds the latest Kumah sticker

Daniel Nakonechny, awaits to board a bus to the Jewish chain

My flag and I support a Jewish Gaza

The Kotel on the ninth of Av

Malkah's first time on the Temple Mount

A girl's carries the reminder of modern-day bondage