Tu B’Av, celebrated this year on July 28, is one of the happiest days of the year for Jews, as we focus on love and renewal. On this holiday, family and friends express love and appreciation and celebrate with festive meals and other gatherings. Historically, Tu B’Av was a time for matchmaking, as unmarried girls in Jerusalem wore borrowed white clothes and danced in the vineyards to find their soulmates; the tradition of borrowed clothes ensured no one felt embarrassed if they did not own white garments. The holiday also marked the end of the summer grape harvest season, as well as the end of the Israelites’ wandering in the desert.
The High Holidays are fast approaching and beginning on Tu B’Av, Jews start wishing each other a “ketivah vachatimah tovah,” to be signed and sealed for a good year.
We hope and pray that on Tu B’Av, the Jews of Ukraine are able to celebrate a bit and enjoy the love of friends and family. Parents, children, elders, and young adults, are all in need of a respite from the stress and strain of the continued crisis. Together we save lives and restore hope.
