At noon on Easter Sunday, dozens of families poured out from the St. Jacob Orthodox Cathedral in Jerusalem’s Old City into the compound of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Adults and children, mostly from the local Arab community, wore their best outfits; men sported suits and ties, girls ran around in twirly dresses, and women had their hair perfectly styled. Several generations of family members took pictures together as the youngest delighted in the bags of chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies wrapped in colorful paper handed out at the end of the service, while friends of all ages shook hands, wishing each other a Happy Easter.

“We wait for this moment the whole year,” Phethen from Jerusalem told The Times of Israel. “It’s happy to be here, but the situation still feels hard. It’s not like every other year.”

A serene Orthodox Easter was enjoyed under a glorious, clear blue sky tempered by a cool breeze. It was a scene that would have been unthinkable only days before, as the church, like all of the holy sites in the Old City, remained shut for almost six weeks during the US-Israel war with Iran. Iranian missiles and fragments reached the area several times ahead of the ceasefire, which took effect on Thursday.

“I had never come here for Easter, but after everything that has happened, I want to take advantage of every opportunity for normal life that I have,” said Xenia, 35, who moved to Israel from Russia eight years ago and lives in Ramat Gan.

“According to the latest news, we don’t know what will be tomorrow, so it felt even more important to be here today,” she added, referring to the reports that negotiations regarding the ceasefire in Pakistan had quickly broken down.

Speaking in the heart of the church next to the Aedicule, the shrine that encloses the tomb where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was buried and resurrected, she said that for Orthodox Christians in Russia, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre carries a very deep meaning.

“Since I moved to Israel, I feel I’ve gotten kind of used to being close to this place, but I bought some candles for my friends in Russia,” she explained. “This is really important for them.”

The tale of two Easters, only a week apart

On April 5, the Catholic Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa celebrated Easter........

© The Times of Israel