News
Christians mark subdued Good Friday in Jerusalem, wider region amid Iran war
18+ hour, 35+ min ago (453+ words) Jerusalem's Via Dolorosa, normally thronged with pilgrims and clergy on Good Friday, stood eerily quiet as the war with Iran largely shuttered Jerusalem, leaving the usually bustling Old City streets nearly empty. Christians in Jerusalem traditionally mark the day by…...
Marble bowl buried 1,300 years ago in Golan church sheds light on ancient baptisms
1+ day, 5+ hour ago (1210+ words) Some 1,300 years ago, in 749 CE, an earthquake struck the Middle East, causing widespread destruction. The earthquake sealed the fate of the ancient city of Hippos, once a thriving Christian center east of the Sea of Galilee in the southern Golan....
Latin Patriarch holds limited prayers at Holy Sepulchre after Palm Sunday uproar
1+ day, 21+ hour ago (397+ words) Catholic leaders led Holy Thursday prayers at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem without public attendance as the city's major holy sites continue to be closed due to the ongoing Iran war. The prayers came after police, citing…...
After attack, Michigan synagogue calls to add Lego to Seder plate
2+ day, 20+ hour ago (460+ words) JTA " At Temple Israel in suburban Detroit, where congregants are still reeling from last month's attack in which an armed man rammed a vehicle filled with explosives into the building, a new Passover tradition is taking shape. "This Passover, we're…...
How the Exodus story subverts pharaonic texts to mock ancient Egypt
3+ day, 14+ min ago (1255+ words) On Wednesday at nightfall, Jews across the world will gather around the seder table to celebrate the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, and how God saved them with "a mighty hand and an outstretched arm." But…...
Angela Buchdahl: This Passover, have faith in the story of the Exodus
3+ day, 13+ hour ago (285+ words) Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish…...
For Jerusalem’s Haredim, it’s business as usual during wartime Passover shopping rush
3+ day, 22+ hour ago (897+ words) The streets of the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhoods of Mea Shearim and Geula were packed with shoppers Monday evening, even as war with Iran threatened to dampen the Passover holiday. Many businesses around the country have suffered due to travel restrictions…...
Holy Sepulchre Easter services to go ahead as Church leaders reach deal with police
5+ day, 58+ min ago (1191+ words) Catholic officials in Jerusalem said Monday that prayer arrangements for Holy Week and Easter have been resolved with Israeli authorities, ending a spat over the issue as police sought to implement restrictions amid Iranian missile fire. The day before, police…...
Police, Catholic patriarchate reach agreement on prayer at Holy Sepulchre after cardinal blocked
5+ day, 10+ hour ago (722+ words) After widespread outrage over its refusal to let top Catholic figures pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday, the Israel Police announced that it had reached an agreement with the Latin Patriarchate to allow limited…...
Police stop top Catholic figures from reaching Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday Mass
5+ day, 23+ hour ago (625+ words) Police officers on Sunday kept two top Catholic clergymen from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, the Patriarchate and the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land said. According to the…...