Tishah Be Av a Modest Proposal
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Contemporary Conservative Judaism has successfully woven Holocaust remembrance and Israeli independence into its liturgical fabric, yet its treatment of Tish'ah Be-Av—Judaism's primary day of communal mourning—remains notably underdeveloped. A systematic comparison of prayer books across Jewish denominations reveals significant gaps in Conservative liturgical resources for this traditional fast day, particularly in contrast to the more comprehensive approaches found in Reform, Reconstructionist, and historical European Liberal traditions. Through analysis of various siddurim, including Siddur Sim Shalom, nineteenth-century German Liberal Gebetbuecher, early American proto-Conservative rites, and contemporary Israeli Progressive liturgies, a pattern emerges of incomplete adaptation of essential elements such as qinot (elegies) and comprehensive liturgical frameworks. The historical record demonstrates extensive cross-denominational precedent for a more robust Conservative Tish'ah Be-Av service, suggesting that proper liturgical recognition of historical tragedy remains essential for authentic Jewish religious expression and spiritual maturation.

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Published 1992
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Eric Friedland