As Americans, we remember certain indelible dates such as December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked or November 23, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

We Jews also have such a date that holds tragic significance. The Ninth of the Jewish month of Av, which occurs in mid-summer, holds major significance for the Jewish people.

On this date – or close to it – the following cataclysmic events occurred (descriptions of the events are greatly simplified):

1313 BCE: The spies sent out by Moses as recorded in the Torah returned with a negative report of the Promised Land.

586 BCE: The First Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians, sending most Jews into exile.

70 CE: The Romans destroyed the Second Temple, carting off Temple treasures to Rome.

133 CE: The revolt against the Romans led by Simon Bar Kochba was put down with the destruction of the city of Betar, resulting in a name change to the land and the end of an independent Jewish state.

1095 CE : The First Crusade began, bringing with it attacks on Jewish communities in Europe.

1290 CE: Jews were expelled from England. They were not legally accepted back until 1656 under Oliver Cromwell. This is the first instance of the entire Jewish population being banished from a country.

1492 CE: Jews were forced out of Spain. They were not allowed back in until 1868 when a new constitution supported freedom of religion. However, the original Alhambra Decree of 1492 was not rescinded until 1968.

1914 CE: World War I began.

1941 CE: The Final Solution received official Nazi Party approval.

1942 CE: Treblinka began operating and deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto started.

1994 CE: The Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires  was bombed, killing scores of people and injuring at least 300.

For these things do I weep; for the foe has prevailed.

Gone is the joy of our hearts; our dancing is turned into mourning.  (from the Book of Lamentations)

There are few stand-alone resources for Tisha B.Av beyond a chapter here and there in holiday anthologies and the text of Lamentations.

For more information about Tisha B’Av:

Sefaria for the text of Lamentations.

Wikipedia for basic information about Tisha B’Av.

My Jewish Learning: Tisha B’Av 101.

American Jewish World Service for Tisha B’Av resources.