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The fast of the 17th Tammuz is one of 4 fast days to commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem & the Temple. The others are the fast of Gedalya, 10th of Tevet & 9th of Av.
According to tradition 17th Tammuz marks a number of tragic anniversaries:
The Fast of Tammuz is from dawn to nightfall.
It begins the "Three Weeks", also known as "Beyn HaMetzarim" - "Between the tragedies" - leading up to Tisha B'Av (9th of Av)
During the Three Weeks a number of the rituals of Mourning are observed:
From 17th Tammuz onwards one should not shave / cut one's hair, attend public entertainment. We do not hold weddings during this time.
From Rosh Chodesh Av the mourning is intensified - we do not eat meat or drink wine (excepting Shabbat), bathe for pleasure, buy new furniture or clothes. It is considered an inauspicious time for court cases & business transactions.
On 9th Av, itself, the mourning reaches its peak - with a full 25 hour fast like Yom Kippur - sunset to nightfall - on which no bathing, anointing, leather shoes, sexual relations, food or drink are permitted.
Tisha B'Av marks:
At the Seudat Hamafseket - meal before the fast - it is traditional to eat a hard boiled egg dipped in ash as a token of mourning.
The Book of Lamentations, (Eicha) is read in shul - in low light / candle light / and with people sitting on low benches / on the floor. This is followed by the reading of Kinot - liturical dirges. More Kinot are read after Shacharit the following morning.
Tefilin and Tallit are not worn on Tisha B'Av until Mincha time. It is a solemn day on which all pleasures are abandoned. One does not study Torah (apart from the passages on mourning & the destruction of the Temples) or even exchange greetings and pleasantries with friends.
Although the fast concludes at nightfall, the symbols of mourning continue through till noon on 10th Av. Unlike Yom Kippur, where the end of the fast is a celebration of Israel's atonement, there is nothing to celebrate in the aftermath of the loss of the Temple & our exile.
The Talmud notes that whoever does not mourn the destruction of Jerusalem will never merit seeing it rebuilt in glory.
May our community join in prayer, observe the customary symbols of mourning and give especial thought the plight of Jerusalem and her citizens in these troubled times. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem". May we look forward to its full restoration, a city, united and in peace.