Easter and Passover celebrated in a 'world turned upside down' as churches and synagogues close due to coronavirus pandemic
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine tried to keep its doors open for people in New York City to pray during the coronavirus pandemic.

The cathedral, located in Manhattan's Morningside Heights, implemented protocols that would allow people to worship together while remaining safe and healthy. Church members avoided hugging or shaking hands, and clergy tried to conduct communion in a way that would limit human contact.



Ultimately the Episcopal cathedral, one of the largest in the world, shuttered its doors indefinitely as the pandemic escalated, the first time the 128-year-old New York City landmark has done so in its modern history.



"The cathedral has never been closed like this before," said Rev. Canon Patrick Malloy, responsible for the cathedral's liturgy. "When we had a fire in December 2001, it forced the cathedral to close, but not indefinitely. This is highly unusual for us — we pride ourselves on always being open."

St. John the Divine is one of many Christian and Jewish houses of worship that are shuttered this week as congregations celebrate the Easter and Passover holidays online, amid shelter-in-place orders and social-distancing measures designed to stop the coronavirus epidemic from spreading even further, particularly in hard-hit New York City. There are 94,409 confirmed coronavirus cases in the city, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, accounting for nearly 20% of the nationwide case total of 501,615.

Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism, is broadcasting Shabbat services to congregants in the safety of their homes through a live stream. Senior Rabbi Serge Lippe held a Passover Seder with dozens of participants through video conference on the platform Zoom. While Lippe, 55, was grateful to engage with his community, he compared the experience to being underwater due to the time lag and limitations on hearing.

"Passover has been diminished and limited," Lippe said. "It's a holiday that, for Jews, speaks of freedom and liberation, but we're not feeling particularly freed or liberated this season."