Jerusalem Controversy

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered in Christian tradition as the site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial, was closed on Wednesday as a precaution against the coronavirus. The closure, initially for a week, followed a meeting between Israeli police and church leaders, said Wadie Abu Nassar,…

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Religious chants echoed on Sunday through almost empty prayer chambers and passageways in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, with coronavirus precautions limiting attendance at the place revered as the site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial.The small congregation contrasted starkly with the crowds of Christian pilgrims who…

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Leaders of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered as the site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial, urged worshippers on Saturday to maintain social distancing to help fight the coronavirus.Church leaders at the ancient holy site in Jerusalem's walled Old City called on visitors to "avoid any…

Networks of conservative evangelical “intercessors” who have been mobilizing prayer on behalf of President Donald Trump and his reelection have turned their attention to the coronavirus crisis. Through numerous prayer calls, written prayer guides, and podcasts this week, religious-right activists and evangelists have rallied around Trump, asked God to bring…

Getting tired of Netflix, online learning and doing house chores during the coronavirus quarantine? Try taking a virtual museum tour from your home. Israel’s museums are using the web to offer cultural options during the coronavirus lockdown, hosting virtual tours of current exhibits, activities for the young and old, talks…

In a dramatic move, the Defense Ministry announced Tuesday that April’s national Memorial Day ceremonies will take place without audiences and that the smaller events planned for municipal cemeteries across the country will be canceled outright, in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Israel’s Memorial Day — known as Yom Hazikaron…

A health minist­ry direct­ive orders people to stay at home unless going out to buy food or medici­ne A woman at Jerusalem's nearly deserted Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, after Israel has imposed some of the world's tightest restrictions to contain the new coronavirus. PHOTO: AFP JERUSALEM: Israel on Tuesday barred…

The authorities at the Western Wall holy site in Jerusalem have asked worshipers who arrive there not to kiss the stones of the wall amid efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Kissing the stones is customary among worshipers at the Western Wall — the holiest place where Jews can pray —…

By Rami Ayyub Mar 16, 2020Jerusalem - The Jewish faithful should refrain from kissing the stones of the Western Wall, the chief rabbi of the Jerusalem site said on Monday, adding to measures that religious authorities have taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Jews pray en masse at…

By NASSER KARIMI and JOSEPH KRAUSS TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The official leading Iran’s response to the new coronavirus acknowledged Sunday that the pandemic could overwhelm health facilities in his country, which is battling the worst outbreak in the Middle East while under heavy U.S. sanctions. Elsewhere in the region,…