(WASHINGTON POST) -- On Aug. 10 and 11, many Jews worldwide observed the religious holiday of Tisha B'Av by fasting, praying and reading Bible passages related to the destruction of the first Temple by the Babylonians. Religious Jews have kept Tisha B'Av for centuries as a day of communal mourning.
But this year they were joined by a growing number of evangelical Christians who now observe the holiday to lament the historical persecution of Jews by the church. The new Christian Tisha B'Av calls for penance for past misdeeds - most especially by growing Christian support for the state of Israel.