Israelis mark Passover in shadow of war: 'We cannot celebrate together'

Geoff Bennett:

This year, Easter and Passover coincided not only with each other, but with the war in Iran. And that led to subdued holidays in Israel. Gatherings were restricted in size and access to Jerusalem was severely limited.

Producer Karl Bostic and Nick Schifrin have this report on Passover in Israel under fire.

Nick Schifrin:

This year in the Holy Land, the holidays turned into tests of faith.

(Sirens blaring)

Nick Schifrin:

Residents in Metula, Israel's northernmost town, rush inside whatever reinforced room offers seconds of safety. The sirens of incoming Hezbollah rockets or missiles provide only 15 seconds of warning, what sounds like distant booms outgoing Israeli air defense on the first day of Passover.

Miriam Hud, Metula, Israel, Resident:

We are not safe. We cannot celebrate together like each year, every year. It was a missile right here. This is the car.

Nick Schifrin:

Miriam Hud shows producer Karl Bostic the aftermath of a Hezbollah strike just last week, this car on her street full of pockmarks, her hotel pierced by shrapnel. She owns the Beit Shalom. She says Passover doesn't feel as it should.

Question:

Is there a reason to celebrate right now?

Miriam Hud:

No. No, we are not celebrate today. We stay home, no family.

Nick Schifrin:

Holy Week is supposed to help inaugurate spring, but for many of the faithful this year, that joy was missing, and instead weeks of war left emptiness. What should have been a full Western Wall was instead deserted because of restrictions on group gatherings during the war.

In Northern Israel, with Lebanon in the distance, that means a town largely evacuated. One of Metula's residents who stayed behind...

Rabbi Israel Pachter, Metula, Israel, Resident:

This is the traditional food for Passover.

Nick Schifrin:

... is both spiritual guide and protector. Israel Pachter is a reservist on duty and a rabbi in Metula. He helps residents hold on to their spirit and their homes.

Rabbi Israel Pachter:

At the end of this street, it's Lebanon. And Hezbollah also thought it's a very good idea to start with us. And he started.

Nick Schifrin:

During the war with Iran, Israel says Hezbollah fired more than 2,100 drones and missiles into Northern Israel.

Rabbi Israel Pachter:

Rockets, fire, whatever it's going to be, we are here to protect our community, me and my friends. And we do it 24 hours a day.

Nick Schifrin:

We first met Pachter two years ago when he and his wife, Sara, were evacuated following the October 7 terrorist attacks in the 2023 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Rabbi Israel Pachter:

Part of the winning is to keep our morality up.

Nick Schifrin:

Today, Israel has invaded Southern Lebanon to create what it calls a security belt along the border, so Metula's residents can remain if they choose.

Rabbi Israel Pachter:

Of course, it's not peacefully and quiet now like regular, and a lot of families went out only for Pesach.

Nick Schifrin:

Many Metula residents fled here, Tiberias, 40 miles to the south, an ancient biblical city on the Sea of Galilee where Scripture says Jesus walked on water.

(Singing)

Nick Schifrin:

And it's a temporary home for the displaced to mark the moment the Jews gained freedom from a vengeful pharaoh in Egypt.

Moshe Weinstein leads the Passover seder with his family and Metula residents, but one is missing. His son Omer (ph) was killed in October 2024 by a Hezbollah rocket. Omer was supposed to inherit the family farm from his father. His gravestone overlooks the outskirts of Metula.

Moshe Weinstein, Metula, Israel, Farmer (through interpreter):

If I had stayed in the synagogue and prayed 24/7 for a son like Omer, I wouldn't have received one.

Nick Schifrin:

Across the table from him, his son-in-law, Mushy Wagshal.

Moshe Weinstein:

This is the husband of my daughter.

Nick Schifrin:

And the Wagshals continue the family business on the same land where the family has lived more than a century.

Question:

Despite living there for five generations, have you ever thought about leaving Metula?

Mushy Wagshal (through interpreter):

We returned after the war. Our daughter asked us not to return. We promised her that, at the first siren, we would leave. And we haven't kept that promise. The current war started and we stayed in Metula.

Nick Schifrin:

Because on this holiday that marks Jews' escape from bondage toward the biblical promised land, they hold on to their homes in the face of war.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Nick Schifrin.