Mandatory Meeting on Tisha B’Av Evening
Question
I am a public school teacher and I have a mandatory meeting in preparation for the school year scheduled at the time Eichah is read on Tisha B’Av. I am not allowed to skip it. They will not change the time just for me when hundreds of teachers will be there and they can’t make it a convenient time for everyone. And sitting on a low seat there is out of the question because they want to maintain a professional image and they won’t provide one or allow me to bring my own. This meeting takes place every year around this time, but has never been on Tisha B’Av. What should I do?
Answers
If you have no other alternative, you should attend the meeting. You can sit on a regular chair and you may even greet people if you have to. Once the meeting is over, you should endeavor to leave immediately and noto get caught up in the socializing that invariably occurs after such gatherings.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team