Israel has lurched closer to constitutional chaos
But there are still ways to step back from the brink
Tisha b’av is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. A time of mourning and fasting, it marks the destruction of the first and second temples in Jerusalem—the result, in part, of infighting among the Jewish people. This year the commemoration began on July 26th, two days after Israel’s government passed a law aimed at dramatically weakening the country’s Supreme Court. The reform’s many opponents see it as an act of self-destruction. The echo of Tisha B’Av only deepened their sorrow.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “A sad day”
Leaders July 29th 2023
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