After years in which there was no public transportation on Shabbat, the Hitorerut (waking up) movement in Jerusalem is launching a public transportation project that will operate in the city on Fridays and Saturdays and go directly to the beach in Tel Aviv.
On Friday, the bus will pass through the student neighborhoods and disperse the passengers for Friday meals, and on Saturday it will go to the most sought-after destination for Jerusalemites – the beach in Tel Aviv.
Among the neighborhoods that will be on the route are Rehavia, Beit HaKerem, French Hill, and more. So far, dozens of Jerusalemites have signed up for the first trips that will take place this weekend, and dozens more are on waiting lists if space becomes available.
According to the Hitorerut Movement, a survey conducted by the Direct Polls company among the liberal Jerusalem public about six months ago revealed that 57% of Jerusalem residents support the operation of public transportation on weekends. The survey also shows that among the traditional Shabbat-observing public, 41% support the operation of public transportation on weekends, as does 21% of the national religious public.
Hitorerut officials’ statements
Adir Schwartz, Chairman of the Hitorerut movement stated that “the Jerusalem public yearns for real solutions that will keep the secular and traditional young people in this city. Hitorerut is committed to creative solutions of this kind, and as it has supported all advanced transportation solutions in Jerusalem – even on Shabbat, it will continue to make and initiate solutions that respect everyone’s Shabbat, each according to their own path and neighborhood.
BANNING PUBLIC transportation on Shabbat: The state’s Jewish character versus its democratic nature. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)“In Jerusalem, there is a place for everyone. Jerusalem must remain a city that includes everyone – secular, ultra-Orthodox, religious, and traditional in equal measure.”
The report of the free Jerusalem bus line comes days after the announcement that the new Tel Aviv light rail would not operate during Shabbat.
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