Educator Connects Tisha B'Av to Personal Losses to Help Children Understand

Avinoam Harash, an educator, addresses the challenge many parents face in explaining the ancient destruction commemorated on Tisha B'Av to their children. He suggests making the day personal by linking it to contemporary experiences of pain, loss, loneliness, and brokenness that children and teenagers encounter in their own lives.

Harash shares vivid examples to illustrate this approach: witnessing domestic conflict and its emotional toll, experiencing the shock of a neighbor's divorce, coping with infertility, and dealing with the invisible wounds of soldiers returning from Gaza. He also highlights struggles such as delayed marriage decisions, the heartbreak of watching a loved one suffer from dementia, and the loneliness of social exclusion.

He further connects these personal tragedies to the collective memory of Tisha B'Av, including the murder of a yeshiva student in the Muslim Quarter and the lingering pain from the evacuation of Gush Katif. Harash emphasizes that Tisha B'Av is not just a historical event but a reflection of ongoing personal and communal heartbreaks.

By framing Tisha B'Av in this way, Harash aims to help parents and educators facilitate meaningful conversations with youth, making the day relevant and accessible. He invites them to join an educational group focused on adolescent dialogue to further support this process.