If you wait one nano-second after the traffic light turns green, the cars behind will honk,
but a shopkeeper will arrive two hours late to open his store. Still waiting?
The Knesset summer recess has begun,
all pending legislation will wait.
The proposed new conversion law caused such an uproar that even visitors got into the fight.
Now all sides have time to read the bill carefully and work towards a compromise.
Also, in the week leading up to Tisha B’Av, doctors picketed against the proposed budget
and civic groups again gathered to protest new pending Holyland building legislation.
For three days, Jonathan Pollard supporters protested that he has been held too long,
but he remains in a United States’ jail, so he and his supporters are still waiting.
Before Tisha B’Av, hundreds of groups
including many children on outings
passed through the streets
of the Old City.
For Tisha B’Av, tens of thousands of people made their way to the Kotel, the Western Wall
to quietly pray and recite Eicha, Lamentations, at night and Kinot during the day.
Restaurants and entertainment venues were closed at night for the day long fast,
and usually busy streets were quiet as many people stayed home to fast and not use any extra energy.
But there were hundreds of venues, including “Tonight we don’t learn Torah”
where Tisha B’Av was observed.
There was even a special reading of Eicha by Chief Rabbi Metzger to hundreds of people
who gathered near the Shalit family, who are still waiting for over four years to see their son.
It is five years since the Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip were forced to give up their land,
many are still waiting to get into permanent homes
and we are all still waiting for peace.
It took many years to finally agree on building
the magnificent Hurva Synagogue in the Old City.
So many disagreements, so many people still waiting to come together.
As the sun set on Tisha B”Av, there were clouds on the horizon,
at least on one issue there is agreement, in spite of the clouds and humidity,
we will still be waiting for rain for some time.
