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Dear Friends,

The Rabbis teach that the temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred – Sinat Hinam. My understanding of what the rabbis meant by "baseless hatred" is hatred of another person for no other reason than their being different. Hatred because of differences of opinion, because we disagree. 

But disagreement itself is not the problem – as a matter of fact, dispute or "machloket" has always been an integral part of our Jewish tradition – and the source of much of our wisdom.
It is not disagreement that destroys, but the hatred that stems from disagreement.

It is not the "pilug" (divide) itself, but rather how we behave towards our "bar-plugta" (those with whom we disagree)? With hatred and rage? Or do we question, criticize and disagree respectfully? 

This week we will go from mourning the destruction of the temples on Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the month of Av, to Tu B'Av, the 15th day of Av – when we celebrate the Israeli version of Valentines' Day.

At BINA we will use these six days to teach and learn about the issues that divide us as a society today, and how we handle this divide. We will take this opportunity to talk to our students about inclusion in the context of the recently passed law of surrogacy, which excludes gay couples; about freedom of marriage in Israel following the police interrogation of a conservative Rabbi for performing a wedding ceremony without the permission of the Rabbinut; about respect and the rights of minorities following the nation-state law (Hok Haleum).

In the six short days between the 9th to the 15th of Av, we will go from baseless hatred to celebrating love. From the hatred which destroys us as a society, as a people - to the love which has the power to rebuild and repair - ourselves and our world.

There never were in Israel greater days of joy than Tu B'Av and Yom Kippur (Taanit Tractate). May ALL the days between this Tu BAv and the upcoming Yom Kippur be days of joy and celebration - of love, family, and freedom.

Happy Summer,

The BINA Team
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FINDING A NEW MEANING IN AN OLD DATE ON THE JEWISH-ISRAELI CALENDAR by Eran Baruch and Noga Brenner Samia 

"What we propose this summer to commemorate 9 Av is not to mourn the past, but rather to take a hard look at the present; not to fast or read Lamentations, but rather to connect the ancient date of destruction to present- day opportunities for redemption and repair – of ourselves and of our society. Let us tie Tisha Be’av with the social protests that cry out for social reform, moral conduct (of ourselves and our leaders), social justice, inclusion and tolerance...." 
Noga Brenner Samia spoke on i24 on the topic of Tisha B'Av's relevance to Jews today, at a time when we have our own state. She suggests that we don't need to mourn the destruction of the temple to find the relevance of the day to current social issues based on hatred of the other.
AV - The month of sorrow, and also the month of love.
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BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change, operates under the Israeli nonprofit "Merchavim Chevra Lechinuch Vetarbut".

BINA operates under the Israeli nonprofit Merchavim, with the support of the Kibbutz Movement and the Posen Foundation. BINA is proudly funded by the UJA-Federation of New York, as well as additional supporters, including: Avi Chai Foundation, Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation, Federation CJA Montreal, Feldman Foundation, Gimprich Foundation, Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest, Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Berl Katznelson Fund, Leichtag Foundation, Littauer Foundation, Matanel Foundation, Montefiore Endowment, Morris Levinson Foundation, Rappaport Family Trust, Shahaf Foundation, Alan B. Slifka Foundation, Ziering Family Foundation, dozens of municipalities across Israel and hundreds of private donors.
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