Overview
- Communities in Israel and abroad are fasting from dawn until nightfall, with eating and drinking prohibited.
- The Chief Rabbinate designated the day for reciting Kaddish and Yizkor for Holocaust victims whose death dates are unknown.
- The fast recalls the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 588 BCE and is one of four rabbinic fasts tied to the Temple's destruction.
- Halachic guidance cited today says healthy adults must fast, with exemptions for the sick and for many pregnant or nursing women, and congregations add Selichot and Aneinu in prayers.
- It remains a regular workday, with local times varying by city, such as Jerusalem 5:26–17:09 and Tel Aviv 5:29–17:05.