The three weeks from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av are known in Israel as Bein Hametzarim - "Between the Straits". So called in the Book of Lamentations, this period, from ancient history into modern times, has seen tragic events occur within the land of Israel and to her people world wide. Disobedience and despair, pogroms and war, hatred and the holocaust, the destruction of the Temples and Jerusalem, with the exile of her people - at the hand of Israel's enemies.

The prophet Jeremiah witnessed the devastation of Jerusalem. His "Lamentations" characterize this season with deep grief of mourning, weeping, prayer, and fasting. But exile and destruction will never be the end of Israel's story. As watchmen on the wall we recall the promises of God - to favor Tzion, to rebuild the fallen Tabernacle of David, and to restore a humbled nation, for the glory of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - the Holy One of Israel.