Christian Travelers from Around the World Celebrate Pentecost in Jerusalem

Taste of Shavuot. (photo courtesy of the Israel Ministry of Tourism)

More than 500 Christian travelers from around the world gathered at the southern steps of the Old City of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount on June 2, to celebrate Shavuot, or Pentecost. According to the New Testament, Jesus trekked to the Temple Mount on Shavuot and would have walked up the southern steps on his route. The participants celebrated by praying at the site and reciting blessings in Hebrew and English. The gathering marks the first time the Christian Friends of Israel (CFI), in cooperation with the Israel Ministry of Tourism, has produced the Shavuot festival, which attracts hundreds of tourists from more than 40 countries annually.

The Cenacle on Mount Zion is the traditional Pentecost site, where Jesus and his disciples had the Last Supper. The disciples met here and the Holy Spirit descended on them, according to Christian tradition. This site is where the first Christian bishops presided over the early church of Jerusalem and the majority of the Sacraments were instituted here. The Cenacle is regarded as “the Mother of All Churches” and it has been an important pilgrimage site for centuries.