Looking to make sense of all that’s unfolding in American democracy and absorb it through a Jewish framework? Hoping to add new meaning to Tisha B’Av? Reconstructing Judaism invites you to “Responding to Instability: Viewing Our Democracy Through the Lens of 9 Av.” The virtual program, sponsored by Reconstructing Judaism’s Democracy Fellowship, will take place Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 1 p.m. EDT. Register here.

The program will examine how Tisha B’Av might offer guidance to navigating instability in democracies around the globe. What might Jewish stories of resistance, destruction and survival teach about how to respond to the current threats to democracy? How might the practice of mourning sustain collective capacity for hope?
The program is being organized and moderated by Rabbi William Plevan, Ph.D., assistant professor of contemporary Jewish thought at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He also serves as the college’s Democracy Fellow, a post created to explore links between contemporary Judaism and democracy. The fellowship is meant to honor the work of two retired RRC faculty members, Rabbi Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Ph.D., RRC ‘82, and Rabbi Mordechai Liebling, RRC ’85.

The Tisha B’Av program will feature a pair of panelists: Rabbi Sandra Lawson, RRC ‘18, Reconstructing Judaism director of diversity, equity and inclusion as well as Rabbi Salem Pearce.
Tisha B’Av memorializes numerous calamities throughout Jewish history, including the destruction of the first and second temples in Jerusalem, the final crushing of the Bar Kochba rebellion against Roman rule in ancient Israel and the expulsions from England and Spain. Traditionally, Jews mark the day by fasting and chanting the Biblical book of Eicha (Lamentations.)

“I am hoping to provide people with a space to connect Jewish teachings to their commitment to a democratic society, in particular with respect to Tisha B’Av,” said Plevan. “So many Jewish reflections on Tisha B’Av reflect on the conflict and tensions within ancient Judean society. We intend to engage discussion around a common text or two and reflect on their meaning for contemporary democracy activism.”