Boston Herald

In Jerusalem, Palestinia­n Christians observe scaled-down rituals

- By Julia Frankel

JERUSALEM >> Hundreds of Christians participat­ed in a customary Good Friday procession through the limestone walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, commemorat­ing one of the faith’s most sacred days with noticeably thinner crowds amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The procession, which normally draws thousands of foreign visitors, was unusually local — mostly Palestinia­n Christians, joined by some foreigners living in Jerusalem and a few undeterred tourists.

The procession passes along the Way of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, the route believed to have been walked by Jesus to his crucifixio­n. Squads of Israeli police set up barricades along the path, rerouting shoppers in the Old City’s bustling Muslim quarter to make way for hundreds of pilgrims.

A young group of Palestinia­n Arab scouts led the day’s procession, past the 14 stations, each marking an event that befell Jesus on his final journey. Hundreds of Palestinia­n Christians walked in their wake. Behind them was a small parade of the Franciscan religious order, composed mainly of foreigners who live in Jerusalem.

“We wait for this every year,” said Munira Kamar, a Palestinia­n Christian from the Old City, who waved to the cross-bearers who stopped to give her young daughter a kiss on the cheek. “Of course, this year we are unhappy because of the situation with the ongoing war.”

Thousands of Palestinia­ns have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7 killings and hostage-taking in Israel.

The impact of the war was clear at the procession’s final stations are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and laid to rest before his resurrecti­on on Easter. There, instead of the crowds who normally queue for hours in the church courtyard, entrance to the site was easy.

The city’s streets were noticeably devoid of Palestinia­n Christians from the West Bank, who normally flock to the Holy City for Easter. Since Oct. 7, Palestinia­n worshipper­s have needed special permission to cross checkpoint­s into Jerusalem.

Despite the thinned crowds, shopkeeper­s, whose heavy metal doors are usually closed on Fridays, threw them open for tourists seeking Catholic memorabili­a. But shoppers were few and far between.

“Comparing last year’s Easter festivitie­s with this year is like light and day,” said Fayaz Dakkak, a Palestinia­n storeowner whose family first opened the shop in 1942. His shop stood empty.

“Usually people are joyful today and kids are excited,” he said. “But when you compare children here who have water and food and a family to what’s happening in Gaza, how can you be happy?”

 ?? AP PHOTO/LEO CORREA ?? Christians walk the Way of the Cross procession that commemorat­es Jesus Christ’s crucifixio­n on Good Friday, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday.
AP PHOTO/LEO CORREA Christians walk the Way of the Cross procession that commemorat­es Jesus Christ’s crucifixio­n on Good Friday, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Friday.
 ?? AP PHOTO/LEO CORREA ?? A Christian worshipper kisses the Stone of Unction, the stone slab traditiona­lly claimed as the stone where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, in the Old City of Jerusalem, on Good Friday.
AP PHOTO/LEO CORREA A Christian worshipper kisses the Stone of Unction, the stone slab traditiona­lly claimed as the stone where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, in the Old City of Jerusalem, on Good Friday.

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