No longer the exclusive purview of the Orthodox, Tisha Be’av has become an opportunity for secular-religious discourse  

Observant and secular Israelis alike crowded places of worship Monday night to mark Tisha Be’av, the day of fasting and mournful contemplation commemorating the destruction of both Temples and Jerusalem, and the ensuing exile of Jews from the Holy Land.

The growing resurgence of the importance of the holiday among non-observant Israelis is also manifest in the events and ceremonies marking the day in a meaningful and significant way.
 
For the entire article:

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=181969

The poll posed the question: "Tisha B´Av symbolizes ´unfounded hatred.´ What, in your opinion, is the worst source of tension in Israeli society?" In response, 42% indicated the religious-secular issue and 41% indicated the Jewish-Arab issue.

For the entire article:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3921895,00.html

“Mourning on the Ninth of Av in this day and age flies in the face of both secular Zionism and religious Zionism. It contradicts the right of Jews around the world to decide where they prefer to live. The exile is over, and the temple has not been rebuilt because we don´t want to do it.”

For the entire article:

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/anshel-pfeffer-it-is-wrong-to-fast-on-tisha-b-av-1.302241

Finally, the month of Av also carries a message of redemption and comfort:

“The rabbis taught us that those who are able to truly feel the loss of the Temples and Jerusalem within their hearts, whose mourning is heartfelt and genuine and not merely externally expressed and pro forma, are privileged to see the other side of the month of Av in its consoling comfort and promise of redemption and better times.”

For the entire article:

http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/Judaism/Article.aspx?id=181650

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