Thousands of Christians baptized near Jordan River

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Thousands of Christian pilgrims have headed to the river were Jesus was baptized only to be disappointed as Israel isn't allowing people into the water. However Israeli officials said Tuesday they decided to close the steep entry into the river because of safety problems in previous years. Instead, they set up tubs of river water and pumped water from the Jordan into showers on the riverbanks. Some pilgrims were upset, but others were content to be near the holy site. Stefan-Igor Reljic of New York immersed himself in a tub overlooking the river. He says "thirty feet doesn't make that much of a difference" to him. About 15,000 faithful are visiting the Jordan River site over the next two days to mark holy week in the Orthodox calendar.