Jews marked the start of a “strange” Passover holiday on Wednesday as the coronavirus pandemic prevented the large family gatherings usually organised for the traditional Seder meal. In Israel, which has more than 9,000 confirmed cases of the deadly virus, a nationwide curfew was in effect, with security forces deployed on the streets to prevent anyone seeking to visit relatives in violation of social-distancing measures. In an English language message to Jews across the world, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that this year’s Passover was “strange” and “different from all other Passovers.”
