Beth Hillel Temple of Kenosha held a vigil Aug. 10, 2019, as part of a nationwide “Close the Camps” weekend co-sponsored by T’ruah, a New York-based group devoted to “the rabbinic call for human rights.”
More than 50 vigils and other events were held around the United States, with encouragement and sponsorship from T’ruah and other organizations. Beth Hillel Temple had the only Wisconsin event on the T’ruah list.
National organizers chose the Tisha B’Av weekend, marking the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, because it is a day of communal mourning. Tisha B’Av is considered the saddest day on the Jewish calendar; it marks the destruction of the First and Second Temples.
T’ruah reports it is inspired to act, “in response to the tragedies occurring at our border and across our country.”
The Kenosha vigil was held just outside the synagogue, 6050 8th Ave., in downtown Kenosha. It was held immediately after Erev Tisha B’Av services.