Sun, Jul 19
|Virtual Event
Tisha B’Av Lunch & Learn 5786
The last of the two fasts within the three week period: the 9th of Av, Join Rabbi Shais as we explore this Jewish period of mourning known as the Tisha B’Av and its powerful connection to Frederick Douglass’s historic speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?"
Time & Location
Jul 19, 2026, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Virtual Event
Guests
About The Event
This Lunch & Learn will explore the final phase of the Jewish observance of the “Three Weeks,” which concludes with the fast of Tisha B’Av— with themes of destruction, displacement, and communal tragedy in Jewish history. Traditionally a time of mourning and reflection, the 9th of Av requires we address the difficult questions about societal division, moral failure, and consequences of injustice left unaddressed and how that effects the next generation.
We will place these themes in conversation with Frederick Douglass’s landmark 1852 address, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” In that speech, Douglass challenged America to confront the contradiction between its stated ideals of freedom and the lived reality of slavery and racial oppression. His words continue to resonate as a call for honesty, accountability, and collective responsibility.
Through discussion and learning, we invite participants curiosities around:
How communities remember historical trauma and resilience
The role of…