Poll: 57 percent of secular Israelis indifferent to Tisha B'Av

A new poll revealed Monday that most secular Jews are indifferent to Tisha B'Av (the ninth of Av) – the day marking the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem.

The lent of Tisha B'Av begins Monday evening.

Spanning some 500 participants, the poll revealed that most believe observing Tisha B'Av is a religious custom and do not care whether or not businesses such as movie theaters or restaurants stay open, in what is considered by the religious public as a day of mourning.

The poll further revealed that religious Jews found holding the gay pride parade in Jerusalem more offensive that keeping restaurants open on Tisha B'Av.

When asked whether or not the day holds any personal significance, 39 percent of those polled said they observed it as a day of mourning for the Temple, 25 percent said it was a day of social reckoning and 24 percent said they did not pay any special attention to the date.

Some nine percent said they thought marking Tisha B'Av was an antiquated tradition made redundant by Israel's establishment.

Days of unfounded hatred

According to the poll, unfounded hatred – traditionally believed to be the cause for the Temples' destruction – still exists in Israel today:

The Haredim were voted most hated sector in Israeli society by 29 percent of those polled, immigrants from the former Soviet Union were voted so by 15 percent, followed by the settlers, with 12 percent of the votes.

Thirty percent of those polled refused to reveal which segment of Israeli society they hated the most.

As for the gay pride parade, 52 percent of Haredim and 42 percent of religious Jews found holding it in Jerusalem as most offensive, while 58 percent of secular Israelis and 46 percent of observant Jews found disrespecting the Memorial Day siren as most offensive.

The poll was taken by the Mutagim Institute on behalf of Ynet and the Gesher Educational Organization, which is dedicated to bridging the gap between the different segments of Israeli society.

Shoshi Becker, director of the Gesher organization told Ynet that Tisha B'Av's significance is not lost on the secular public:

"Some 40 percent of secular Israelis see Tisha B'Av as a meaningful day both for the destruction of the Temple and for its being a day of social reckoning.

"It is up to us to find what causes the different segments in Israeli society to hate each other. We must find the way to tone these negative feelings down."