Jerusalem heads into a subdued Passover and Easter under the shadow of the Iran war

A man sits beside a locked door of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and shuttered shops in Jerusalem’s Old City, which remains off limits to visitors amid the war with Iran, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) 2026-03-29T08:28:21Z JERUSALEM (AP) — Jerusalem’s major holy sites are shuttered and families are dejected and exhausted ahead of Passover and Easter as the Iran war enters its fifth week.

The mood stands in stark contrast to a usual spring, when longer days herald a period of family gatherings and an influx of tourists for the major Jewish and Christian holidays.

Metal shutters are drawn on nearly all stores in the Old City, home to key holy sites, and only scattered footsteps echo on deserted stone alleyways.

Vast plazas are missing the typical throngs of faithful and tourists.

Jerusalem has largely escaped past wars, with Israel’s enemies appearing to be hesitant to launch missiles near the city’s Muslim holy sites.

But since Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, Jerusalem has repeatedly come under fire.

Earlier this month, an intercepted Iranian missile sprayed shrapnel on the rooftop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, just steps from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher , one of the most important sites in Christianity.

The church, built on what is revered by many Christians as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection, remains closed under Israeli military guidelines prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people.

Missile debris also hit a road leading to the Western Wall , the holiest site where Jews can pray.

From his office overlooking the plaza at the Western Wall, now also closed to worshipers, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, lamented the empty plaza. “The heart aches greatly, it bleeds, seeing the Western Wall as it looks now,” he said.

The massive priestly blessing for Passover, which usually draws tens of thousands, will take place with just 50 worshippers, Rabinowitz said.

That’s the maximum allowed to pray together in the enclosed area by the Western Wall under wartime safety guidelines — reminiscent of the restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic .

Easter celebrations are canceled The Latin Patriarchate canceled the Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem, complying with Israeli military guidelines that limited gatherings to under 50 people.

Despite that, the Patriarchate said Jerusalem police prevented the Catholic Church’s top leaders from entering the Church of the

原文链接: AP News