By Debbie Schlussel

Today is Tisha B’Av, meaning the Ninth of Av, a Jewish fast day which marks tragedies that happened on this day throughout Jewish history, primarily the day of the destruction of both of the Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, the eternal Jewish capital.

To my fellow Jewish friends and readers who are fasting today as I am, I wish you an easy fast. To my gentile readers, Jewish fasts are not the wimpy Ramadan BS. We do not eat or drink for 25 hours, and it’s harder on hotter summer days (and I’m thankful the temperature is only in the mid-to-high 70s here in Detroit, today–during past fasts, it’s been in the 90s). But unlike Muslims, we don’t whine about it or complain or demand that you stop eating and drinking and shove our religion in your face like the religion of ISIS and the 9/11 hijackers does (U.S. military–as with every year we’ve been in Afghanistan and Iraq–was ordered not to eat in front of Muslims, many of whom cheat and eat and drink, themselves). We chose this, so it’s on us and we don’t seek to impose this on anyone else or demand special treatment. We also don’t ask the TSA to send out special messages to the world demanding they acquiesce to our every demand (the way the TSA did for Muslims during last year’s and probably this year’s Ramadan festival of increased terrorism).

Tisha B’Av marks the end of three weeks (and nine days within those three weeks) of deprivation, sacrifice, and mourning in the Jewish religion (though, since most Jews are JINOs–Jews In Name Only–few Jews observe that). The fast began at sundown last night and ends tonight at nightfall. Jewish fasts also mean absolutely no eating, drinking, bathing (no showers), shaving, haircuts, laundry, washing, swimming, make-up wearing, sex, wearing of leather shoes (which were considered a luxury back in the day and, with PETA winning, may be again soon in the future), music, or entertainment.

As I’ve previously noted on this site, Tisha B’Av is a day on which at least five major tragedies occurred to the Jewish people. It marks the destruction of the Jewish Temples–both of them, which occurred on this day in the Jewish calendar. On Tisha B’Av in 1492, the Jews were officially expelled from Spain. Tisha B’Av 1914 (August 1, 1914) was the day World War I broke out, setting the stage for World War II and the Holocaust. On the eve of Tisha B’Av 1942, the Nazis’ mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto began. Most were sent to their deaths at the Treblinka Nazi death camp. Just after Tisha B’Av 1994 concluded, Hezbollah and Iran bombed the Jewish community center of Buenos Aires (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina), Argentina, killing 86 and wounding at least 300 others, 20 years ago this summer.

In 1942, many American Catholic priests and Christian ministers participated in the holiday, fasting along with their Jewish-American friends, as then reported in TIME Magazine.

It may be that the truce (we’ll see how long it lasts) with HAMAS was undertaken because many Israeli soldiers are religious Jews, and they are observing the fast. But that’s not a good enough reason–as there is none–to let HAMAS rest and rebuild.

More on Tisha B’Av at Judaism 101 and My Jewish Learning.