Communities throughout Israel are offering tours and events in honor of the Passover holiday, many of them for free.  The city of Jerusalem held its bi-annual mass priestly blessing (Birkat HaCohanim) in the Old City on Tuesday morning, followed by a happening in the Jewish Quarter's central square including music and games. 

See listing of events on IsraelNationalNews's Pesach Page.

Events and tours in the Old City and the City of David will continue throughout the day, and at night the city will sponsor a lights show on the outer wall of the Old City, near Jaffa Gate.  Several of Jerusalem’s attractions will be free to the public throughout the week, including the Israel Museum and the Botanical Gardens.

In Hevron on Tuesday and Wednesday, thousands of Jews will be celebrating the holiday with food, music, and dancing.  The entire Cave of the Patriarchs will be open to Jews, including the hall over the burial sites of Yitzchak and Rivka (Isaac and Rebecca), which is usually reserved for Muslims.

An increasingly popular site in Jerusalem is Zedekiah's Cave, adjacent to Damascus Gate.  The cave dates back to the days of the First Temple period, at least some 2,500 years ago, when it helped King Zedekiah of Judea to briefly escape the Babylonian army.  Much larger now than it was then, it runs under the Moslem Quarter of the Old City; some historians say it once reached all the way to the Temple Mount.

Several towns and parks in Gush Etzion are offering a variety of family activities, including pony rides, paintball, and arts and crafts.  The town of Alon Shvut will hold a free Chassidic music concert on Wednesday night.