Tisha B'Av is considered one of the more strict fast days and begins from sundown as does Yom Kippur. Besides eating and drinking, Jews are also prohibited from washing, anointing (perfumes and creams), wearing leather shoes, and marital relations.
On Tisha B'Av, the people of Israel conduct themselves as if they were mourning a close relative who has passed, and therefore, even Torah study is prohibited, except for sad subjects, such as the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations, the stories of the destruction, and the like. In addition, as with mourners sitting shiva, sitting on a chair is prohibited until noon.
Tens of thousands are expected to visit the Western Wall, the last remnant of the Temple built in 516 BCE and destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.
At the holy site and around the world, Jews will recite the kinot, sad poems about the destruction of the Temple, and other tragedies that befell the Jewish nation.
On this date, the 9th of the Jewish month of Av, many hardships befell the nation of Israel, among them: the fall of the city of Beitar, marking the end of the Bar-Kochba Revolt against the Romans leading to the leveling of the city of Jerusalem by the Romans. On the same date, the Jews were expelled from Spain. The expulsion from Gush Katif also occurred in the days surrounding the 9th of Av.
Fasting times:
Jerusalem
Fast Begins: 7:30 p.m. Fast Ends: 7:53 p.m.
Tel Aviv
Fast Begins: 7:28 p.m. Fast Ends: 7:55 p.m.
Haifa
Fast Begins: 7:31 p.m. Fast Ends: 7:56 p.m.
Eilat
Fast Begins: 7:23 p.m. Fast Ends: 7:50 p.m.
New York
Fast Begins: 7:57 p.m. Fast Ends: 8:29 p.m.
Los Angeles
Fast Begins: 7:44 p.m. Fast Ends: 8:11 p.m.
Miami
Fast Begins: 7:58 p.m. Fast Ends: 8:25 p.m.
Toronto
Fast Begins: 8:27 p.m. Fast Ends: 20:58
London
Fast Begins: 8:29 p.m. Fast Ends: 9:08 p.m.
Johannesburg
Fast Begins: 5:52 p.m. Fast Ends: 6:13 p.m.
Melbourne
Fast Begins: 5:43 p.m Fast Ends 6:13 p.m.
