I was sitting on my porch this late Shabbat afternoon, listening to the people in our yard and across the street talking, playing soccer, yelling, dogs barking, and the like, when I looked up and saw the crescent moon. Today is the sixth day of the Hebrew month Av. The first day, which is celebrated as the holiday of Rosh Hodesh, was last Monday.
Ramadan began here in Jerusalem on Wednesday (July 10), so this is the 4th day of Ramadan, and the breaking of the fast celebrations come after sunset. According to the Islamic Finder website, which gives the prayer times for Jerusalem, the fast can be broken at the time of the evening prayer, at 7:49 pm tonight, which is about 20 minutes ago. Sunset in Jerusalem tonight is 7:46. The fast began this morning at 4:07 am.
The Jewish fast of the 9th of Av goes from shortly before sunset on Monday, July 15th, to after dark on the evening of Tuesday, July 16th, so this year both Jews and Muslims will be fasting on the same day (although the Ramadan fast is only during daylight hours).
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