JL;DR SUMMARY The article reflects on the connection between the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av, focused on grief and historical tragedies, and contemporary instances of loss and suffering such as the death of Michael Brown Jr. in 2014 and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.