Prof. Yuval Elbashan, Dean of the multicultural campuses at the Ono Academic College, says in a column in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily that he fasts on Tisha B'Av. "As a Zionist and secular Jew, I feel obligated to do this because Tisha B'Av is a national and not a religious holiday," he wrote.
Further on he explained, "The first Temple was destroyed because they despised the laws and did not keep them, while the second Temple was destroyed because they were strict with the laws and followed every letter of the law to the extreme. The juxtaposition of the two events shows that there is no real difference between the fanatics on both sides. All those who are convinced that they are the only ones who are absolutely right, and who are not ready to compromise on the smallest thing, will lead us to destruction if we don't eradicate them."
"Fanatics who insist on not learning from October 7th that the internal war is causing much more damage than their political opponent may cause, even if they win. Those who continue to set barns on fire just to bash their opponents and forget that only yesterday foxes were roaming among the ruins of Be’eri, and the fire set by the murderous attackers in the houses of Kfar Aza turned holy bodies into ashes and dust."
Amidst threats by the Iranians and their accomplices to destroy Israel, Elbashan calls on the Israeli society to show responsibility and strive for unity among the people of Israel. He ended with a story explaining his decision to fast on Tisha B'Av, "It is said that Napoleon entered a synagogue on Tisha B'Av and was surprised to see Jews sitting on the floor and sobbing. When it was explained to him that they were mourning the destruction of the holy Temple that occurred 1,700 years earlier, he said that for a people who lived their past this way, their future is guaranteed. I hope we all remember that, especially this year."