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| PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers) (1095301) | |
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Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers) |
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Posted by arnine on Fri Aug 19 11:02:38 2011, in response to PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Fri Aug 19 10:58:21 2011. Nice coverage :) |
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Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers) |
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Posted by Kew Gardens Teleport on Fri Aug 19 11:12:28 2011, in response to PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Fri Aug 19 10:58:21 2011. Looking good! What a lot of people! |
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iPhone 6 (4.7 Inch) Premium PU Leather Wallet Case - Red w/ Floral Interior - by Notch-It |
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Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers) |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Fri Aug 19 11:26:18 2011, in response to PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Fri Aug 19 10:58:21 2011. Great news! Great photos! So glad you were able to be there! |
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Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers) |
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Posted by TransitChuckG on Fri Aug 19 12:26:53 2011, in response to Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers), posted by Kew Gardens Teleport on Fri Aug 19 11:12:28 2011. I agree, looks exciting. Thanks for the coverage. |
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Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers) |
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Posted by Jersey Mike on Fri Aug 19 12:34:40 2011, in response to PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Fri Aug 19 10:58:21 2011. Sounds like a really explosive event. |
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Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Sat Aug 20 18:13:23 2011, in response to Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers), posted by Kew Gardens Teleport on Fri Aug 19 11:12:28 2011. Thanks! |
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Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Sat Aug 20 18:13:33 2011, in response to Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers), posted by TransitChuckG on Fri Aug 19 12:26:53 2011. You're welcome |
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Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Sat Aug 20 18:14:03 2011, in response to Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers), posted by Terrapin Station on Fri Aug 19 11:26:18 2011. It was a fun day, I'll detail it all in my full report in a few days. |
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PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 1) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 15:18:16 2011, in response to PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Fri Aug 19 10:58:21 2011. As I've posted several times now, the Jerusalem Light Rail finally opened to the general public last Friday. Although I was up until 3 AM on Friday morning, I decided to pass on trying to ride the first train (I had no idea where it would enter service and no reasonable way to get to it), I opted for a later afternoon run after some pre-Shabbat shopping in the morning.NB: Feel free to refer to my unofficial Jerusalem Bus Map (that includes the light rail line) to get a sense of distances, places, etc. in the report that follows. I took the bus from my apartment to the start of the line at Har Herzl. The bus parallels the light rail from the Central Bus Station to Har Herzl, and we left the CBS at about the same time as a light rail train, close enough that a "race" was fair game. I was particularly interested in seeing who would win because of the signal priority system for the train not being fully activated. As of now, only a few signals have it (it would be nice to know which ones, you'll see why as you keep reading). Had it not been for a backup extending out of the military cemetery, the bus would have beaten the train to the end of the line; it was a tie instead. Also of note, the train had quite a bit of a lead about halfway there, large enough that I thought it would win fairly easily, but was slowed by station stops and lights. I also noted we didn't pass many trains going in the other direction. The large crowd waiting for the train once I got to Har Herzl confirmed what I had surmised, there was a large gap between this train and the one in front of it, wherever it was.   Mashiach (aka the Jerusalem Light Rail) arrives:  Once on board, I got a place at the RFW with plenty of others, intending to take photos out the front for as much of the trip as I could (I figure the opportunity to do this without pissing off the operators will last as long as the train is a novelty, eventually it won't be looked upon so favorably). We started out a few minutes before 1 PM for the approximately 8 mile trip to Pisgat Ze'ev. Looking ahead as the train passes the Har Herzl Military Cemetery:  Many people came out to ride the train on its first day, the train was so crowded the attendants on board my train wouldn't let passengers on board after the first stop and told them to wait for the next train, a few minutes behind:  Entering Denya Square station:  Some of the company I had at the RFW window:  View of the Strings Bridge from the Kiryat Moshe Station:  Crossing the Strings Bridge:  Entering the stop in front of the Central Bus Station, passing a train going the other way:  A look in to the operator's cab. As you can see the controller is on the left side of the console. There is a button on top of the controller for the bell, a convenient place if you ask me. The door controls are where the driver's right hand is, and the button for the horn is on the panel of buttons facing the operator himself, near the emergency brake. The large screen in the center of the console is like the fault display on the NTTs in New York (however the display seems to only be in English). The two smaller screens show views from the 4 cameras (two on each individual LRV) of the side of the train and allow the operator to ensure that the doors are clear before closing them.  At the next station, HaTurim, we experienced the first traffic light related delay as far as I can remember. The station is bounded by a crosswalk on each end, each one is governed by a light. In an ideal situation, the signals would be green for pedestrians except when a train comes through, yet we must have spent a good 3 to 5 minutes waiting for this light to change after the doors had closed, and it was one of numerous times the operator had to call into the control center to try getting them to change the light (based on what I could understand of the transmission). We eventually got underway and reached the Mahane Yehuda Market, where some pedestrians didn't really seem to care that a train was coming down the tracks:  Passing another train near the market:  A bus that hadn't been able to pull all the way through the intersection at Kikar HaDavidka blocked us from going forward until he was able to move along, and the pedestrians walking around the bus didn't help either. Naturally, since this is Israel, the operator just layed on the horn and rang the bell as much as he could even though there was nowhere for him to go and nothing that he could do about it.  Waiting to enter the Jaffa-Center station, having traveled just under 3 miles in about 37 minutes, including station stops and red lights. Nearly all of the Jaffa Road pedestrian mall is visible in this photo:  Going along the pedestrian mall:   Along this stretch, I had overheard a woman asking the attendant standing nearby in English where to get off for the Old City and also could tell the attendant's English was not up to the task. I told her where to go. Turns out she was a Delta flight attendant on a long layover and had no idea that she had put herself into the chaos of the the light rail on its first day. View from the Kikar Safra station, the Old City wall is in the distance:  More to come in Part 2... |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 1) |
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Posted by arnine on Mon Aug 22 15:33:03 2011, in response to PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 1), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 15:18:16 2011. Nice work :) I really like the Strings Bridge :) |
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PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 2) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 16:07:35 2011, in response to PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 1), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 15:18:16 2011. The light at Kikar Tzahal (at the end of Jaffa Road) was another very long one, as it had also been during the preview ride I was a part of on Tuesday afternoon. Once we got underway again, we ran along the Old City wall for a short distance along the only part of the line to have an entirely grass ROW. The view in the distance is East Jerusalem: View from the Shivteo Yisrael station, literally on the Green Line. The column just ahead of the train marks the location of the Mandelbaum Gate, the only access point between East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem during the Jordanian occupation from 1948 until 1967. This is also one of only 4 island platform stations along the entire line.  On the incline after leaving the station and approaching Kikar Zaks and the American Colony Hotel, we ran one of the two headed "signals" alongside the line with yellow lights. Generally, the top one would be lit, but this time the bottom one was lit and once the operator realized this, he put the brakes on hard and came to a quick stop (although he passed the "signal"). He had to call control before moving again. I asked an employee standing next to me what had happened and he essentially said we had run through a light, though I still can't figure out what these signals do. As we wait to leave the Shimon HaTzadik station, another train approaches from the other direction:  However, just as the trains get a green light, a car dashes across the tracks (running its red light):  View of the right of way as the train heads north towards Ammunition Hill, along one of the faster (but not fastest) stretches of track along the line, reaching a speed of about 50 KPH (31 MPH) along here IIRC.  Entering Ammunition Hill Station, about an hour and 5.1 miles after leaving Har Herzl (for the record, a bus could probably travel from Ammunition Hill to the Jaffa Center station in as little as 15 minutes, depending on the bus route):    I believe the speed limit between Ammunition Hill and Givat HaMivtar is 60 KPH, the highest limit along any point of the line. At French Hill Junction (Givat HaMivtar), we had another long wait for a light, nearly 5 minutes if not more. After finally passing through the intersection, we headed through the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat.    Entering Beit Hanina Station, the last of the three stops in Shuafat:  We also passed a train here, which would be the last southbound train of the day (service was supposed to end at 3 PM on Friday so that the trains would be off the line before Shabbat started).  The train was emptier at this point, although still carrying a crowd. Also at about this point, the attendant and operator began gathering their cigarettes, anxiously awaiting a break and beginning to talk about their desire to talk the dispatchers in to letting them just deadhead to the depot and not do another trip, or at least to have a coffee break before going back.  At 2:35 PM, 1 hour and 40 minutes after leaving Har Herzl, we made it to Heil HaAvir in Pisgat Ze'ev. If any of you have been calculating the average speeds based on the timing and distance info I provided, you'll realize the average speed of the train including stops over the course of the entire 8 mile trip was about 5 MILES PER HOUR! (Maybe this is why they use the metric system, doesn't an average speed of 8 kilometers sound much more impressive?)  The attendant and operator got their way, by the time we reached the end of the line the next train indicator had been turned off and instead showed that service had ended for the day, even though it was not yet 3 PM.  Heil HaAvir Station, the northeastern terminal of the line:  A few minutes later, our follower showed up (from what I could tell, if there was an attempt for even spacing between trains, it didn't work out very well, 3-5 minute waits could be followed by 30 minute waits).     For some more photos and some overall observations, see part 3... |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 2) |
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Posted by arnine on Mon Aug 22 16:26:26 2011, in response to PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 2), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 16:07:35 2011. More great coverage :) Thanks :) |
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PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 16:33:42 2011, in response to PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 2), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 16:07:35 2011. After the next train came in, knowing there was a line of trains coming up the line and no more inbound trains, I began to walk south along the line to get photos of those trains as they went by. Right of way looking south towards the Pisgat Ze'ev Mall:  Pisgat Ze'ev Center Station (not actually located in Pisgat Ze'ev Center however, go figure):  Train deadheading to the depot passing through the Yekutiel Adam Station:  Yekutiel Adam Station:    Another deadhead going to the depot:  A northbound train was about to come at this point, so I decided to hop on that one stop to get more photo ops as the next batch of trains rolled through the neighborhood. Here is that train at Pisgat Ze'ev Center:  Leaving Pisgat Ze'ev Center:  Sayeret Duchifat Station (which is actually in Pisgat Ze'ev Center, along with Heil HaAvir):  Train entering Sayeret Duchifat:  Train leaving Sayeret Duchifat:  Same train waiting for the lights to change to enter Heil HaAvir:  Here comes another train:   It too, had to wait a bit to get into the terminal:  Here was my only decent Egged bus with light rail shot of the day:  At this point, with the bus running directly from this neighborhood to my own only running twice an hour with the onset of Shabbat and one due to come by within minutes, I decided to call it a day. Overall observations and thoughts: It is nice to finally see this train up and running, and it seems as if everyone else feels the same way. The trains are free for at least the next two weeks due to the ticket system failing during testing. Additionally, the buses were all supposed to change on the same day the light rail opened, then the plan was to only change a handful of them, and now they opted to change none of them, so I think the soft launch was the way to go, especially with the traffic lights not working as planned and all the other issues. Unlike last Tuesday, the announcements worked on both trains I rode on Friday, but they weren't working today. It is certainly fun to ride, but isn't a reliable form of transit yet. The bus I took home, while operating a route similar but not identical to the light route, covered the 7.7 kilometers (about 4.75 miles) from Sayeret Duchifat to Jaffa-Center in about 20 minutes. In other words, for now, if you want to get somewhere fast, take the bus. It doesn't help that the headways don't seem to be very consistent. According to one employee I spoke with, there were 15 trains on the line on Friday. But if it took 210 minutes to make a round trip, that meant the trains were running about once every 15 minutes in theory, and obviously they weren't in practice. I think this article from Haaretz sums things up pretty well. Today, I rode the train just from the Central Bus Station across downtown to Kikar Safra. With all the buses diverted to Agripas Street since January with the closure of Yafo for the light rail testing and subsequent operation, it usually takes 15 minutes to make it up the length of the street with one lane in each direction, sometimes even more. My goal today was to see if I could get the bus ahead of the one I would have caught otherwise at the Central Bus Station by taking the light rail through town. Two buses on different routes that would pass by the stop I'd wait at left the bus station just as a train was pulling in. The light at HaTurim was long again (see back to Part 1 of my report) and ultimately, I got to the bus stop about 5 minutes before the buses that went up Agripas, and still had a 15 minute wait for my bus (meaning I probably just missed one, both at the Central Bus Station and again on Shlomtzion HaMalka). However, the train I was on and the trains that went by in the other direction were all packed, as have been the platforms when I've seen them since Friday. I can't tell if people are joyriding (kids are still on summer vacation from school) or actually trying to commute, but everyone seems to be enjoying the newest toy in town, at least while it is free. Hope you enjoyed reading (if you made it this far). If there are any questions, do ask, and I'll continue to make additional reports here as warranted. |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3) |
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Posted by arnine on Mon Aug 22 16:46:17 2011, in response to PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 16:33:42 2011. Enjoyed a lot thanks :) Looks like a beautiful country :) |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3) |
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Posted by Kew Gardens Teleport on Mon Aug 22 16:49:58 2011, in response to PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 16:33:42 2011. Thanks for the report. It certainly sounds like a spectacularly slow line. Let's hope it is just the problem with the lights.And quite how much bus service are they planning on cutting due to the light rail opening? |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 17:44:59 2011, in response to Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3), posted by Kew Gardens Teleport on Mon Aug 22 16:49:58 2011. Buses that parallel the light rail will be cut. If you take a look at the unofficial Jlem bus map that I created, pretty much every line that meets the light rail at its southwestern end or northeastern end will be converted into a feeder route and riders will transfer to the light rail to continue their journeys. From Pisgat Ze'ev, there will be no direct buses to anywhere aside from two buses linking the area to different Haredi neighborhoods (the 37 and 49A on the map), there will still be some direct buses from southwestern Jerusalem to other points in the city but many routes will feed into the light rail. Routes elsewhere will change too, the idea being that instead of having a direct bus from all points in the city to nearly every other point, there will be corridors with more frequent service on direct routes and then circulator routes and "local" routes that will work their way through the neighborhoods to complement the trunk lines, running less frequently. Ideally, journeys that are "direct" now will require a change of buses or a light rail ride but will be faster than they are today. If you take a look at some of the existing routes today, such as the 18, 6, 8. 22, 13, and 26, you'll see they are very long and/or roundabout, and very susceptible to delays and bunching. |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 18:07:20 2011, in response to Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 17:44:59 2011. As an addendum, routes that are staying in identical or nearly identical form to their current routings (though not necessarily with the same number as today) include the 31, 32, 33, 37, 40, 39, 49A, 18 (eastern half), 4A, 64, 67, 56, 71, 72, 74, and 75 (again, you can see all these routes on my map that I linked to in the last post). It is also important to note that hardly any stops that currently have service will be discontinued outright. Nearly every stop in the city will continue to get served by another route or be in close proximity to a light rail station. Also, some stops are moving slightly, and new stops are being erected in areas that are getting service that don't have it currently or in areas where there are long gaps between bus stops. |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3) |
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Posted by CentrolinerDD on Tue Aug 23 02:45:16 2011, in response to PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 16:33:42 2011. Great photos. Thanks for capturing this. I hope you will keep us updated with how ridership (and the journey time) is doing in the months and years to come.You said service had ended at 3 PM for Shabbat. Is this only for this week or will it be the standard schedule? Does this also apply to the buses? I understand that during Shabbat, Jews try not to use electricity or drive their cars. Is this correct (or is that only for the Orthodox)? If so, why would transit services end when people would be more likely to use it? Does it have to do with the bus and train drivers? I am just curious, and would like some insight on this. Thanks. |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 2) |
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Posted by Fred G on Tue Aug 23 05:49:42 2011, in response to PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 2), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Mon Aug 22 16:07:35 2011. Ha! Looks like the guy is talking on his phone. Hang up and drive buddy. your pal, Fred |
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Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers) |
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Posted by Fred G on Tue Aug 23 05:50:50 2011, in response to PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Fri Aug 19 10:58:21 2011. Awesome coverage, Oren and the attendance is impressive as well.your pal, Fred |
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Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Tue Aug 23 05:54:14 2011, in response to Re: PHOTOS: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Teasers), posted by Fred G on Tue Aug 23 05:50:50 2011. 40,000 riders on the first day supposedly, but since they aren't collecting fares right now (the first two weeks minimum will be free), I have no idea how they are quantifying that. |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 2) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Tue Aug 23 05:58:50 2011, in response to Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 2), posted by Fred G on Tue Aug 23 05:49:42 2011. Israelis are notoriously bad drivers. I drove for the first time here a few weeks ago and my passenger (who had never been to Israel before) commented that it was like one of those racing video games, except real life, because no one slowed down for curves, construction zones, etc. Cars often "comply" with the laws about signaling lane changes by signaling after the fact, lest they give away any intention of changing lanes and get cut off as a result. Speed limits are often suggestions, I passed a 90 KPH reminder in a construction zone doing close to 120, and some cars must have been doing 130-140 in the same area. A little known bit of trivia is more Isarelis have lost their lives in car accidents than in war.Funny thing is after spending nearly a week in Egypt almost two years ago where traffic lights have yet to gain the respect of local drivers and lane markings are decoration, the Israelis drive very well by comparison! |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Tue Aug 23 17:37:29 2011, in response to Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3), posted by CentrolinerDD on Tue Aug 23 02:45:16 2011. I hope you find this among the earthquake posts.Thanks for the kind words about the photos and report. I'll do my best for the next few months, I haven't committed myself to years in Jerusalem (yet, we'll see if I ever do). An explanation of how different sects of Judaism interpret Shabbat restrictions would be far too complex to post here. One of the major issues is that Jews can't do work for the benefit of other Jews on Shabbat, so unless they were to somehow ensure that only Arabs worked on the trains on that day, there would be issues. And even if that is done, it still isn't permissible for a host of other reasons. One must also realize that what they know about Jewish life in America often doesn't apply to life in Israel. Most Israelis do something to commemorate Shabbat, they might have a family dinner before the teenagers go out clubbing in Tel Aviv if they don't keep Shabbat strictly, as an example. However, by law, all stores and restaurants are supposed to be closed on Shabbat. In Jerusalem, this is followed nearly universally. I rarely spend Shabbat outside of Jerusalem so I can't speak for places such as Tel Aviv, Haifa, or Eilat. On the occasions that I am out of Jerusalem for Shabbat I am usually on retreats with people who do keep Shabbat in isolated guest houses. Under Israeli law, public transit doesn't operate during Shabbat and Jewish holidays (Arab bus lines operate as usual however). There are some exceptions to this, some lines start late in the afternoon on Saturdays in Tel Aviv. Some routes in Haifa operate all day long once or twice an hour. A few long distance buses from the south (i.e. Beer Sheva, Eilat) begin their trips to places such as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv before Shabbat ends but arrive at their destinations after Shabbat is over. Even the secular Jerusalemites are more religious than their secular counterparts in the rest of the country from what I can tell, the demand here for transit services (or stores open) on Shabbat is limited to non-existent. Whether that is a good thing or not is another matter, but there isn't exactly high demand for existing transit services on Friday afternoons as it is here. During the summer when the buses run might still be finishing their last runs as late as 5 PM on a Friday, the shops have all shut by 3. Things are a bit different in the winter when Shabbat starts as early as 4 PM, service doesn't get to be so infrequent before it just stops altogether. In short, Jerusalem city buses stop running about 2 hours before Shabbat and holidays, and resume about an hour after they end. The light rail will be on a similar schedule. Service ends a bit earlier on the eve of Yom Kippur and takes a bit longer to start up afterwards. Schedules are similar throughout the country, even the areas that have Saturday daytime service don't have Friday night service from what I understand. Intercity buses usually have the last trip scheduled to arrive at the destination just before Shabbat at the absolute latest, so the last bus from say, Jerusalem to Haifa, might be at 2 PM even if Shabbat doesn't start until 6 or 7. Hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions if you have them. |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3) |
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Posted by CentrolinerDD on Tue Aug 23 18:43:49 2011, in response to Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3), posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Tue Aug 23 17:37:29 2011. Yes, it helps. Thanks. Its surprising to me (as an atheist American living in a secular society) how much religion can be a factor in how someone does simple day-to-day tasks. Fascinating.If (hopefully 'when') I ever return to Israel, I will be sure to study this issue more so I know how to get around during religious holidays. |
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Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3) |
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Posted by WMATAGMOAGH on Tue Aug 23 19:25:36 2011, in response to Re: PHOTOS & REPORT: Jerusalem Light Rail Opening Day (Part 3), posted by CentrolinerDD on Tue Aug 23 18:43:49 2011. With some planning, you can have a very productive day as a tourist in Israel on a Saturday. Christian and Muslim sites in Jerusalem are open as usual, as are some museums in western Jerusalem. Bethlehem is an easy half day trip from Jerusalem and things are open there as usual on Saturdays. The Arab buses (in Jerusalem) and taxis (everywhere) run normally on Saturdays (but taxis charge higher fares during Shabbat). Shared taxis run between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv 24/7, including Saturdays, though as I said before, I have no idea what you could do in Tel Aviv once you got there (aside from going to the beach). Things in Haifa are supposedly open, there is a large Arab population there and the city's liberal attitudes (in this regard) have meant that transit and other city functions have stayed open on Shabbat for years. Of course, if you have your own car, there aren't rules against driving (though it is prohibited in some ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods) so you can use it as a travel day. The airport is open for arrivals and departures on Shabbat, but there are no El Al flights (the airport shuts entirely on Yom Kippur, there are no fights in or out on any airline).Israel is a religious country. Even secular Jews are aware of when the holidays are and why fast days occur, even if they don't keep them strictly or at all. People quote the Bible at unexpected moments, including fairly secular Isarelis. Many people keep kosher out of habit. Kosher restaurants have sinks for ritual handwashing prior to meals and usually also have copies of the Grace After Meals for patrons to use. Newspapers will print the letters zayin lamed after the name of a deceased person, standing for a Hebrew saying that "the memory [of the deceased] should be for a blessing." About two weeks ago on the hourly newscast, it was reported that the prime minister has a new grandson and the report ended by announcing when the brit mila (circumcision) would be. I could go on, but I think you get the idea. |
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