The Skill of Containing Multitudes: Tisha Be’Av Through Amal’s Educational Lens

Tisha Be’Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, marks one of the most solemn dates in the Jewish calendar, commemorating the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. Beyond its historical grief, the day invites reflection on how a people responds when its world is shaken to the core. In Jewish tradition, this moment of rupture gave rise not only to mourning, but to enduring questions about resilience, identity, and responsibility.

One modern lens on this question emerges from the story of Hannah Senesh and the parachutists of World War II. Although their mission failed in conventional terms, their actions symbolized a profound shift: Jews returning to the “world of action,” choosing agency and responsibility even in the face of overwhelming odds. Their legacy, like that of Tisha Be’Av, is less about immediate success and more about shaping a moral and national imagination grounded in courage, initiative, and collective responsibility. Historically, two contrasting responses to destruction emerged after the fall of Jerusalem: Masada and Yavne.

Masada represents unwavering resistance and the refusal to surrender dignity, even at great cost. Yavne, established by Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, represents adaptation: the ability to preserve the essence of Jewish life through learning, community, and spiritual continuity even after devastation. Jewish continuity was ultimately sustained through Yavne’s pragmatism, yet the enduring power of Masada ensured that survival would not come at the expense of purpose, dignity, and agency.

At Amal Educational Network’s Mamlachti track, these two traditions are not seen as opposing forces, but as a necessary and creative tension that continues to shape Israeli society today. In a diverse and dynamic Jewish state that includes multiple identities, beliefs, and ways of life, the challenge is to hold firm to core values while fostering coexistence and mutual respect among all communities—Jews and non-Jews alike. Amal’s educational vision embraces this balance: nurturing students who are both principled and open, rooted and inclusive.

On this Tisha Be’Av, we are reminded that the strength of Israeli society lies not in choosing between Masada and Yavne, but in sustaining both,   ensuring a state that holds multitudes, and remains a source of shared purpose, resilience, and hope.