In recent years, a tradition has developed in Jerusalem in December: a Christmas market was held along the street leading from the New Gate, one of the entry points to the Old Christian Quarter. city. Although the market was small in size compared to those around the world, it had become a popular tradition among locals and tourists.
This year, however, Christmas festivities were canceled due to the war in Gaza between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group. Leaders of major churches announced in November that celebrations of the holiday would be suspended across the Holy Land in solidarity with those suffering from the conflict.
Jerusalem’s Old City has been quiet since October 7, as the influx of tourists virtually stopped and many merchants and restaurateurs closed their doors.
On a recent visit, none of the owners who chose to keep their shops open along New Gate Street were willing to comment on the decision to cancel the market, a major boon for the area, saying only that they preferred to “stay away from politics”. .” But local residents seem to agree with this measure. “Giving up the festivities is the least we can do as people face genocide in Gaza,” said a young local Palestinian woman.
However, some do not agree with the complete erasure of the Christmas atmosphere. One of them is Issa Kassissieh, a Christian from Jerusalem who 15 years ago transformed the ground floor of his 700-year-old house into Santa’s house.
For three hours each day throughout December, he wears a red suit and a white beard and welcomes visitors of all faiths to his home by shouting “ho, ho, hos.” Santa’s Grotto includes a Christmas tree, a workshop, a kitchen and a small shop selling souvenirs, biscuits and mulled wine.
Issa Kassissieh in front of the Santa Claus House, created from the 700-year-old family home, on December 21, 2017. (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)
In an interview with The Times of Israel, Kassissieh said that most residents of the Old City make a living from tourism and many will be affected by the cancellation of Christmas festivities, but he decided that as Santa, it would continue to welcome visitors – Palestinian and Israeli. — in the privacy of your home, to preserve and transmit the Christmas spirit.
“This year in particular, I want to send to the world a special message of hope, love and peace from the heart of Jerusalem. Three years ago we were in the middle of the COVID pandemic and we couldn’t hug each other. And now it’s difficult because of the war,” he said.
“Usually people would queue for hours to enter Santa’s house. Now we have a lot fewer visitors. However, people continue to come from all over Israel and the region. Two days ago a family came from Bethlehem and said to me: “Thank God Santa’s house is open, so at least the children can feel that something is happening in this season.” Kassissieh continued.
“We are sad for all the people who are dying. But on the other hand, we need to relieve people of stress and send a message of peace. In my house I welcome Jewish, Muslim and Christian visitors. Everyone loves Santa Claus. For me, Jerusalem is the heart of the world. If we can create peace here, we will have peace everywhere.
A street in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, usually lined with restaurants and shops, remains empty amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and a halt to international tourism in the city, December 14 2023. (Gianluca Pacchiani/Times of Israel)
War broke out between Israel and Hamas during the October 7 attack in southern Israel, when 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza and killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took some 240 hostages.
In response, Israel pledged to eliminate Hamas and launched a large-scale offensive in Gaza aimed at destroying the terrorist group’s military and governance capabilities.
More than 18,000 Gazans have been killed in the fighting so far, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry – a figure that cannot be verified and includes terrorists as well as civilians killed by gunfire. of wandering Palestinian rockets. Israel claims to have killed 7,000 Hamas members.
Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, has also canceled Christmas festivities, which typically include a Christmas tree dominating Manger Square, a nativity scene, market stalls all around the square and elaborate light decorations throughout downtown, in a celebration that attracts thousands of visitors from around the world.
“The economy is collapsing,” Mayor Hana Haniyeh told The Associated Press on Friday. “But if we compare this with what is happening to our people and to Gaza, it is nothing.”
City leaders worry about the impact of the closures on the small Palestinian economy in the West Bank, already struggling with a dramatic drop in tourism since the start of the war. The Palestinian tourism sector has suffered losses of $2.5 million per day, which are expected to reach $200 million by the end of the year, the Palestinian tourism minister said on Wednesday.
The highlight of the Christmas season in Bethlehem, the traditional midnight mass on December 24, will still be celebrated at the Church of the Nativity by the Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Visitors walk through Manger Square on Christmas Eve, past the Church of the Nativity, revered as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the biblical West Bank city of Bethlehem, December 24, 2021. ( Abbas Momani/AFP)
Father Ibrahim Faltas, vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, told The Times of Israel that Bethlehem’s Christian community — which makes up about a third of the city’s residents, a sharp decline from 85 percent of the population in 1950 – is “very, very sad”, because “Bethlehem without tourists and without pilgrims is a dead city. The city streets, once full of people, are now empty.”
“I’ve been organizing Christmas festivities since 1992 and I’ve never seen anything like this. It is worse than during the Second Intifada,” the cleric continued, referring to the major Palestinian uprising against Israel that took place between 2000 and 2005. In 2002, a 38-day standoff developed between the army Israeli and Palestinian terrorists inside the Church of the Nativity, eight of whom were killed.
“Bethlehem is today transformed into an open-air prison – no one comes in and no one goes out,” Father Faltas said, referring to the access limitations imposed by Israel on the city and other Palestinian towns in West Bank since October 7.
Daniel Aqleh, a Bethlehem tour guide and active member of the local evangelical community, said that in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the city’s streets would normally be crowded with tourists and bustling with concerts, music parades and other events. public events.
Commenting on the damage caused to the city’s economy by the war, Aqleh said the fallout on the tourism industry had been felt for months. “October and November are the high tourist season here. During the summer, the influx of tourists was low, so we were looking forward to the fall months. But after October 7, tourism completely stopped.”
The family owns an inn and a small chapel, which regularly hosts Advent services for the local evangelical community, and provides a place where the congregation can gather and pray in preparation for the upcoming holidays. Aqleh said his father wouldn’t let him plant a Christmas tree because of the war in Gaza.
A prayer service inside the Aqleh Family “Prayer and Healing Church” in Bethlehem, May 31, 2022. (Facebook)
Like the other two Christian pilgrimage sites, the northern Israeli city of Nazareth has also canceled most annual festivities. “The atmosphere is not conducive to celebrations,” said Hanan Sabbah, director of the city’s Cultural and Tourism Association.
Traditional events in the city around this time include a market, a decorated tree at Mary’s Well Square, and a procession on Christmas Eve, and tend to attract large numbers of international Israeli and Jewish tourists.
“Christmas is a holiday of lights, decorations and joy – many said it was not appropriate to celebrate it after October 7 in Israel, given what is happening today in Gaza,” he said. Sabbah said. “We are still grieving.”
The city annual liturgical music festival took place as planned, albeit shorter than usual, and further concerts are expected to take place in churches in the days leading up to Christmas. “This year the audience was mostly local Arabs and not Jews,” Sabbah said.
A woman walks out of a souvenir shop selling Christmas souvenirs and accessories in the center of the northern Israeli town of Nazareth on December 18, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
“Even though the Municipality of Nazareth has not installed any new Christmas decorations, some are still in place compared to previous years. Many residents look for a glimmer of hope in the lights, the feeling that life goes on – that’s why they put up decorations inside their homes, on their balconies, in their shops,” he said. he declares.
“Even though we did not receive large groups of Israeli visitors, as we usually do around Christmas, I received many phone calls from the south (of Israel),” Sabbah added. “People want to come to Nazareth to spend a night or two, take their children to see something different and get away from the war atmosphere. »
“We thought there would be no Christmas this year, but it turned out that many Israeli Jews want to see the lights,” he said. “Something that will give them a little optimism.”
Agencies contributed to this report.
