{"id":92142,"date":"2026-04-01T18:01:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T23:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/?p=92142"},"modified":"2026-04-01T18:01:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T23:01:10","slug":"seder-under-sirens-israelis-mark-passover-in-the-shadow-of-war-with-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/seder-under-sirens-israelis-mark-passover-in-the-shadow-of-war-with-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Seder under sirens: Israelis mark Passover in the shadow of war with Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

By THEIA CHATELLE<\/p>\n

(JTA) \u2014 TEL AVIV \u2014 The day before Yael Ben Cnaan was set to take over ownership of Bishvil Flowers, a corner flower shop located in the upscale Lev Hair neighborhood, an Iranian cluster munition landed on the street outside.<\/p>\n

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A woman shows a missile alert notification on her mobile phone as residents take cover indoors following missile fire from Iran toward Israel on the eve of the Passover, in Mishmar David, April 1. 2026. (Nati Shohat\/Flash90)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The March 9 impact shattered the store\u2019s windows and left shrapnel holes in the walls. The flowers inside, which Ben Cnaan was unable to access due to police closure of the street, were left to wilt. \u201cIn the meantime, the shop was not operating. There was no income, but the expenses continue: rent, payments and commitments I already took on when entering the business,\u201d Ben Cnaan said.<\/p>\n

All of this took place in the lead-up to the Passover holiday, which, according to Ben Cnaan, is the most important time of year for flower shops like hers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe depend on the revenue during these weeks to keep us alive,\u201d she said in an interview at her shop.<\/p>\n

Ben Cnaan was seemingly undeterred by the strike and wasted no time setting up a crowdfunding campaign and posting on Instagram that she would soon reopen with a limited number of orders available for pickup ahead of the holiday. \u201cI don\u2019t have a choice. If I don\u2019t manage to sell bouquets, we would have to close.\u201d<\/p>\n

An online fundraiser has raised 45,000 shekels (about $14,000), according to Ben Cnaan, allowing her to cover repair costs in the short term. But the long-term survival of the shop, which has become a community staple over its 17 years, remains uncertain.<\/p>\n

In the Instagram post announcing the limited resumption of sales, she urged community members to consider purchasing bouquets or making donations to help sustain the business. \u201cIt will likely not be enough,\u201d Ben Cnaan added.<\/p>\n

Nearly four weeks into Israel\u2019s war with Iran, which has quickly escalated into a regional conflict, stories like Ben Cnaan\u2019s are commonplace. Businesses are struggling due to widespread closures and damage from Iranian missiles, which have killed at least 18 Israelis since the start of the war on Feb. 28.<\/p>\n

Now, Israelis are starting the Passover holiday under wartime, with the conflict casting a somber shadow on the celebrations. Iran launched the largest missile salvo since the start of the war as families sat down to their seders on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

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Yael Ben Cnaan helps a customer with a bouquet on the morning before Passover at her store Bishvil Flowers in Tel Aviv, April 1, 2026. (Theia Chatelle)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Earlier in the morning, as Iran launched another barrage of missiles toward central Israel, one man was killed, and at least 11 others were injured.<\/p>\n

The missiles punctured efforts to approximate normality in the hours leading into the holiday. Early Wednesday morning, Orthodox families gathered to burn chametz, or leavened grains prohibited during the holiday, before the deadline to sell or discard it, while more secular families walked their dogs just hours after multiple sirens sounded due to incoming missile attacks. Throughout the day, Israelis preparing their meals had to pause cooking and cleaning to run to their shelters multiple times.<\/p>\n

With a ban on large public gatherings still in place, major public seders, such as those typically hosted by synagogues in Tel Aviv, had waiting lists hundreds of people long.<\/p>\n

And hotels hosting Passover retreats saw widespread cancellations as travelers from abroad were unable to get to Israel, and as families changed their plans to stay closer to home.<\/p>\n

The war has also prompted new reflections on the meaning of the holiday. \u201cWe know there were Passover celebrations in all kinds of surreal circumstances. My grandmother told stories about celebrating Passover during the Holocaust,\u201d said Avital Rosenberger, head of the emergency unit at the Israeli branch of the Joint Distribution Committee. \u201cIt\u2019s still our mission to remember, to maintain routine and to ask what freedom really means.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jews burn leavened items in a final preparation before the Passover holiday in Jerusalem, April 1, 2026. (Rachel Alroey\/Flash90)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The JDC has been on the front lines of assisting Israelis affected by the war, including residents of Beit Shemesh, Arad, and Dimona whose homes were destroyed by ballistic missile strikes.<\/p>\n

Those involved in relief efforts fear the full scale of the damage will only become clear after the war ends.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so deep in it, and I\u2019m not sure we\u2019re seeing the whole picture,\u201d said Rosenberger. \u201cSome of the damage, especially the mental and emotional toll, will only emerge at the end. We already understand what\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

The growing human toll is one dimension of the damage. Ben Cnaan\u2019s example underscores the financial toll of the ongoing war, as well.<\/p>\n

On the morning of Passover, while many other stores on Lincoln Street remained closed, Ben Cnaan was still at work taking orders and assembling bouquets for last-minute shoppers.<\/p>\n

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Jews prepare matzos, traditional unleavened bread eaten during the 8-day Jewish holiday of Passover, in Jeursalem, March 31, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A concept and tattoo artist who lives in Tel Aviv, she has worked on films including \u201cBeirut,\u201d starring Jon Hamm, Ben Cnaan worked in the flower shop for years before taking ownership. Because her business sustained physical damage due to the war, she is eligible for state compensation to offset losses and fund limited repairs. But she still fears that she will need to close down if business does not pick up soon.<\/p>\n

According to estimates from Israel\u2019s Finance Ministry, the economy is losing at least 4.3 billion shekels per week due to the fighting. As gas prices continue to rise following disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, civilians, whether affected directly by missile strikes or rising costs, are bearing the burden of the war.<\/p>\n

For Johnny, who is spending a year volunteering with the JDC on Kibbutz Rosh Hanikra in the north, the toll of the war ahead of the holiday is becoming increasingly stark.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re exhausted. They\u2019re absolutely exhausted. And the thought of several more months like this could really break their spirit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Johnny, who is Israeli but has lived most of her life in the United States, returned before the current round of fighting. She said it has been reassuring to be closer to her mother in the Galilee while volunteering on the kibbutz.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, the community is incredibly supportive and empowering,\u201d Johnny added. \u201cI know they\u2019ll be OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she knows her seder plans with a host family in Rosh Hanikra may be interrupted by incoming missiles from Lebanon but remains in good spirits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may have to head to the shelter,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it\u2019s certainly not the worst conditions for a seder our people have had to endure.\u201d<\/p>\n

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