Wednesday, July 22nd | 9 PM | Courtyard, weather permitting
Maariv and Eicha Reading
Wednesday, July 22nd | 7 PM | SHTTL Movie Showing | Beit Midrash
Join us for the showing of Ady Walter’s critically-acclaimed Yiddish documentary SHTTL. In one continuous shot, SHTTL shows the lives, loves, and inner conflicts within a Yiddish speaking shtetl on the border between Ukraine and Poland – one day before the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.
Register here.
Evening Schedule
7 PM – 8:15PM | SHTTL Movie Showing
Feel free to bring your own dinner or snack to enjoy before or during the film. Please bring kosher dairy or parve food. Store-bought, takeout, and homemade foods are all welcome. Whether you choose to eat or not is entirely your own decision.
8:15 PM – 9 PM | Break
We transition from Beit Midrash to our Courtyard outside to begin services.
9PM | Maariv and Eicha Reading
Traditionally, many people sit low to the ground during the reading of Eicha as a physical expression of mourning. You’re welcome to:
We will have regular chairs available, as well as chairs with armrests for those who find them more comfortable. If you know you’ll need a chair with arms or have another accessibility request, please include it when you register so we can prepare enough seating.
We hope to gather in our courtyard for Maariv and the reading of Eicha. If the weather is too hot or rainy, services will simply move indoors.
Thursday, July 23rd | 5:30-7 PM | JUFJ | ICE Out of Maryland: Tisha B’Av Afternoon Regeneration | Hopkins Plaza
Tisha B’Av, the Jewish day of mourning for calamities that have befallen the Jewish people throughout history, calls on us to take action for our shared values and in protection of our neighbors. Together, we will mourn and demonstrate Jewish communal resistance to the ongoing attacks on immigrant communities and channel our mourning into action.
Please Note: This community program is organized by our partners at JUFJ. Registration is required through their website. Whether or not you observed Tisha B’Av with Beth Am the evening before, you’re warmly invited to participate in this opportunity to reflect, learn, and take action alongside the broader Jewish community.
Learn more and register here.
Whether you’ve observed Tisha B’Av for years or this is your very first experience, you are warmly welcome. Come as you are.
Attend What Works for You
You’re welcome to join us for:
About Fasting
Many Jews observe Tisha B’Av by fasting from sundown until the following evening as a traditional expression of mourning.
At the same time, Jewish tradition teaches that protecting one’s health comes first. People who are ill, pregnant, nursing, taking medications, recovering from illness, have medical conditions, have a history of disordered eating, or whose health would otherwise be harmed by fasting should not fast.
Whether you fast, fast partially, or choose not to fast, you are fully welcome to participate in every part of the evening. No one will be monitoring how you observe Tisha B’Av.
New to Tisha B’Av?
Tisha B’Av is Judaism’s major day of communal mourning. We remember the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem and many other tragedies throughout Jewish history while reflecting on loss, resilience, and our responsibility to help repair the world.
One of the central traditions of the evening is reading Eicha (Lamentations), a collection of poetic reflections on grief, destruction, and hope. The service is quieter and more contemplative than a typical evening service, making it a meaningful opportunity to experience another dimension of Jewish spiritual life. No prior knowledge or Hebrew experience is expected.
Everyone Is Welcome
Beth Am warmly welcomes:
There is no “right way” to participate. We hope you’ll join us in whatever way feels authentic and meaningful for you.
