(8 Apr 2009)
Jerusalem - April 8, 2009
1. Wide of devout Jewish men burning bread products that are considered leavened food which is prohibited in passover
2. Mid of devout Jewish men burning bread
3. Man praying in front of fire
4. People in front of fire
5. Piece of bread being put into fire on stick
6. Wide of man praying in front of fire
7. Various, border policemen in street
8. More of border policemen in Jerusalem street
9. Group of Israeli policemen receiving briefing
10. Policeman speaking on radio
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Qalandiya crossing, West Bank - April 7, 2009
11. Wide of vehicles at crossing
12. Israeli soldiers checking cars
13. Various, Palestinian walking into terminal
Jerusalem, April 8, 2009
14. Various, hundreds of Ultra-orthodox Jewish college students dancing to celebrate Birkat Hachama, the sunrise blessing
AP Television News, AP clients only
Jerusalem - April 8, 2009
15. Ultra-orthodox man dipping dishes in boiled water to clean them for passover
16. Child watching dishes being cleaned
17. Dishes being put in metal baskets for cleaning
18. Ultra-orthodox women cleaning street outside house
19. Child assisting mother in cleaning
20. Wide of men inside store buying presents
21. Various, people at market stand buying toys for passover
22. Tilt up from woman shopping for books to traditional passover table cloth hung on shop front
STORYLINE:
Jews around the world made last-minute preparations on Wednesday ahead of the spring festival of Passover, cleaning houses, cars and offices, cooking furiously and getting ready for a week without eating leavened bread.
On the streets of Jerusalem, devout Jews ceremonially burned bread and prayed as the festival approached.
Leavened bread is banned for the duration of the Passover.
The tradition of eating matza, the unleavened bread identified with Passover, comes from the Bible's account that the Jews left Egypt in such a hurry that their bread did not have time to rise.
It is also considered the bread of the poor, meant to remind Jews of their ancestors' hardships.
Israel has imposed a weeklong closure of the West Bank for the duration of the Passover holiday, under which no Palestinians are allowed to cross into Israel except those needing medical care, the military said.
Such closures are routine during Jewish holidays when crowds in synagogues and other public places are regarded as potential targets for Palestinian militants.
Wednesday also saw another significant date in the Jewish calendar, Birkat Hachama, the sunrise blessing, a ritual performed once every 28 years, when the sun returns to its place at the time of creation according to Jewish tradition.
The prayer is not connected to Passover, but happened this year to coincide with the holiday.
Tens of thousands of people greeted the sunrise at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray. The worshippers said a blessing expressing thanks to God for creating the world.
Hundreds of Orthodox Jewish college students also gathered on the streets of Jerusalem to celebrate.
The Passover holiday is also an occasion for a thorough spring cleaning.
There is a yearly pre-holiday rush on cleaning products at supermarkets, and long lines formed at car-washes as the festival approached.
Passover, which marks the Hebrews' exodus from slavery in Egypt as recounted in the Bible, begins on Wednesday night with a special meal known as the seder.
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