Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av) is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar—a 25-hour major fast day dedicated to communal mourning, reflection, and memory.

At the Western Wall (Kotel) in Jerusalem, tens of thousands gather as the sun sets to usher in the fast. The scene is striking: lights are dimmed, worshippers remove their leather shoes as a sign of mourning, and thousands sit directly on the stone pavement or on low stools to read scriptures by candlelight or flashlight.

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