A new survey conducted for the Tzohar Index for Judaism and Tradition found that nearly half of Israelis support a nationwide ban on opening entertainment venues and restaurants on the eve of Tisha B'Av.
Under current law, entertainment venues and restaurants must close nationwide on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day and Memorial Day. On the eve of Tisha B'Av, however, local authorities are permitted to decide whether to impose similar restrictions in their municipalities.
According to the survey, 49.6% of respondents support extending the nationwide closure law to include the eve of Tisha B'Av. Meanwhile, 35.6% said local authorities should also have the authority to determine restrictions for Holocaust Remembrance Day and Memorial Day, while 14.8% favored repealing the legislation altogether.
Rabbi Asher Sabag, a member of the board of the Tzohar rabbis' organization, said the findings highlight a broader perception of Tisha B'Av. "Tisha B'Av is truly a major missed opportunity, because it is a national day, not a religious one, and somehow it has been imprinted in people's minds as a religious day," he said.
He added that the day carries a message that is deeply relevant to modern Israel. "It is a day that speaks precisely to our reality here in the State of Israel. We returned after a long exile, and we want to remain here, and we want to create a state that can endure, and not repeat the mistakes of the past. The change needs to come naturally from the public, not by coercion," Sabag said.