July 31, 2017 -- Israelis Gather at Western Wall for Tisha B'Av

Thousands of Israelis gathered near the Western Wall to  observe the beginning of Tisha B’Av on Monday night in Jerusalem.  "Prayer leaders read aloud from the Book of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah’s biblical account of the destruction of the First Jewish Temple by invading Babylonians in 586 BC."

Jewish men pray at the Wall Western in the Old City of Jerusalem, on July 31, 2017 to mark the beginning of Tisha B'av. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Jewish men pray as they gather for the ritual of Tisha B’Av at the Wall Western in the Old City of Jerusalem, on July 31, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)