Religion: Tisha b'Av

For the first time in history, Christian ministers participated last week in observing the solemn Jewish day of mourning, Tisha b'Av. Their action was expressive of the growing understanding among religious groups throughout the civilized world. Bishop Edwin V. O'Hara of Kansas City urged "all who profess the Christian faith [to] understand the declaration of Pope Pius XI that 'all Christians are spiritually Semites.' "

Tisha b'Av, the ninth of the Hebrew month of Av (July 23 in 1942), is the saddest day in the Jewish year. Dating from the destruction of the First Temple at Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, it also commemorates...

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