5 things to know about the 17th of Tammuz

 

  1. On this day, the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans in the year 70 CE, and three weeks later the Second Temple was destroyed. According to some opinions, the city walls were breached on this exact date before the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE. The 17th of Tammuz was set as a fast day in memory of both events.
  2. The three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av are called “Bein Ha-Metzarim – Between the Straits.” It is customary to practice mourning customs: avoiding haircuts and shaving, not listening to music, not eating meat and not celebrating joyous activities.
  3. The 17th of Tammuz can never land on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday.
  4. On the 17th of Tammuz in the year 1099, the walls of Jerusalem were breached again, this time by Crusaders on the first Crusade. After a long siege, the Crusaders were able to enter the city and conquer it from its Jewish and Muslim residents.
  5. Many finds have been discovered in the City of David excavations, and they provide non-verbal testimony to the destruction of Jerusalem. Among them, layers of ash from both periods when the Temple was destroyed, Babylonian arrowheads, and whole pots used by those hiding from the Romans, have been discovered.
A layer of ash from the time of the First Temple’s destruction (586 BCE), discovered at the Givati Lot dig. Photo: Koby Harati
A layer of ash from the time of the First Temple’s destruction (586 BCE), discovered at the Givati Lot dig. Photo: Koby Harati