The Jewish day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples is called Tisha B’Av.
Tisha B’Av means “the ninth of Av,” referring to the date in the Hebrew month of Av. Jewish tradition associates the date with the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE. The day became a major fast and mourning observance.
Traditional practices include fasting from food and drink, refraining from certain forms of comfort, and reading the Book of Lamentations, known in Hebrew as Eikhah. The date is also associated in Jewish tradition with other calamities, though historical dating for individual events can vary. Tisha B’Av is distinct from Yom Kippur: both are fast days, but Tisha B’Av centers on national mourning while Yom Kippur centers on atonement.