Holy Days in the Crossfire: Jerusalem’s Passover and Easter Fall Silent

 

The faithful attend a Palm Sunday mass at the Monastery of Saint Saviour in Jerusalem's Old City on March 29, 2026. |

Jerusalem is entering what should be one of its most vibrant seasons under an unusually heavy pall, as the ongoing Iran war forces the city’s sacred spaces into lockdown and its residents into a subdued observance of Passover and Easter. 

Major holy sites across the Old City—normally alive with worshippers, pilgrims, and tourists—now sit shuttered behind metal doors. The narrow stone alleyways echo with only the occasional footsteps, a stark contrast to the typical spring surge of visitors celebrating the Jewish and Christian holidays. Families, exhausted by weeks of conflict, face a season traditionally marked by renewal with a sense of fatigue and uncertainty. 

The war’s reach has been felt even in areas historically spared from direct attack. Intercepted Iranian missiles have scattered shrapnel near the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and along the road to the Western Wall, prompting strict military guidelines that limit gatherings to 50 people. As a result, the Western Wall plaza—usually overflowing during the priestly Passover blessing—now stands nearly empty. “The heart aches greatly,” said Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, reflecting on the unprecedented quiet. 

Christian observances have been similarly disrupted. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre remains closed, and the traditional Palm Sunday procession—normally drawing tens of thousands—has been canceled for the first time in centuries. Church leaders have decried the restrictions as disproportionate, while also urging the faithful to find spiritual resilience despite the circumstances. 

As the Iran war enters its fifth week, Jerusalem’s holy days unfold not with celebration, but with caution, absence, and a collective longing for peace.