Jerusalem is eerily quiet this year as Passover begins Wednesday and Passion Week begins for Christians. The city, like all of Israel, is on complete lockdown with residents told to stay in their homes.
The cause for the first shut-down in Israel’s history is the global COVID-19 global pandemic. However, technology is allowing people from around the world to visit the heart of Jerusalem from their own homes. Israel’s iconic Tower of David Museum is using virtual reality to allow pilgrims to visit the Western Wall during Passover, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher during Easter and at the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.
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The museum Innovation Lab has created an immersive 360-degree virtual reality experience that anyone with an internet connection can access. “Visitors” will be able to see Jerusalem as it is today and how it looked 2000-years-ago with several virtual reality tours.
Lieber hopes the virtual tours will give people hope as they continue to battle the coronavirus.
“These are challenging times for us all,” she continued. “Millions of prayers and dreams of people from all over the world have been caught between the towers, spires, and domes of the city for thousands of years. The city has given hope and inspiration for centuries.”
People will be able to access the virtual reality tours free of charge from the first day of Passover, through Easter, to the first day of Ramadan – April 9-24.
–CB News
