Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-09
THE FEAST OF AZ.
Local Hebrews Commemorate The Burning of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Hebrews of this city began Tuesday
 evening the annual feast of Ab in comremoration of the burning of the
 temple in Jerusalem by the soldiers
 of Titus This tragedy, which spelled
 political ruin for the Jewish nation
 and marked the end of the Jewish ma
 tionality, is the inspiration of an inn pressive and solemn religions cere-
 moHey in synagogues all over the
 world. The Zionists will observe the
 fast of the ninth of Alb by collecting
 funds for the war stricken co-religion :
 ists in Palestine as well to forward
 the movement for re-esta blishing the
 Jewish center at Jerusalem. While
 the world war has brought suffering
 and sorrow to millions or Jews, there
 is also a feelir- among them that the
 titanic conflict of the great powers
 will in the end bring about the real ization of their dream. The restora = tion of Palestine to the Jews is not justn,ent of the affairs of the world comes with the restoration of peace. The grasp of Turkey upon the ancient land of the Hebrews will no doubt be loosened and it is certain that the return of the country to Its historic owners would meet with universal ap- proval.
 Few Of the cities of the world have suffered as much from siege and wars as has Jerusalem. Since the Isralites took the city from the Jebusites and David set up his capital on Mount Zion. the holy city has many times been plundered and pilaged. In 971 B. C.. it was taken by the king of Egypt, who footed the temple of its treasures. It was subsequently, con- quered and pilla ged by King Jehoash, in the sixth century B. C., the city was twice besieged and taken by Nebuchadnezzar, the Baby1onian con- querer. The second siege lasted three years. and on it's termination the vic tors applied the torch to the temple ana palaces. and carried away Zede lSiah, the last king of the house of David, and many Of his people
 After a long period of Persian rule the Egyptians again appeared before the walls of Jerusalem. Pacifism reached it's height on that occasion. for the defenders of the city refused Ptolemy gained an easy victory and plundered the city. The Syrians were next masters of Jerusalem and in 163 B. B.. Antiochus massacred the peo- pie, defined the temple and prohibited the Jewish worship. Then, in e3 B. C.. came the Romans of Pompey who demolished the walls and slew 12,0e0 people In the following period the temple was rebuilt on a grander scale. and Jerusalem reached the height of its glory with nearly 200 900 people Roman tyranny at length drove the Jews to revolt and in SC A. D., the fn- surgents took the city and routed the Roman army. Retribution was swift and terrible. for four years later Ti- tus, son of Emperor Vespasian, took the city and burned the temple after one of the most terrible sieges in his tory, during which the Jews died like flies, from starvation and disease. The city was razed to the ground With the final passing of the Jewish nation Jerusalem entered upon a new but not less tragic pa1lse Of its history in which it was taken and retaken in turn by the Romans. the Persians the Crusaders and the Saca cans only at last to fall into the hands Of the Turks