Palestinian boys terrorizing an Israeli bus

The video shows two Palestinian boys yelling and attacking Jewish passengers on a public bus in the Negev town Beersheva. Those are pictures you probably won't find on CNN or the BBC. 

The incident occured just a few days ago on October 3. The incident itself is nothing special, as many Palestinian kids are trained to cause provocations. As soon as Israelis start defending themselves, the terror kids start crying and run to the foreign press in order to complain about the "violent" Israelis.

More Details HERE !

Only in Jerusalem

SHANA TOVA - A GREAT NEW YEAR on Jerusalem's local EGGED buses

Photos: Miriam Woelke

Not everyone is happy on Rosh Hashana

B"H

The Jews are preparing for the upcoming holiday Rosh Hashana. The supermarkets in Jerusalem are packed, Israelis buy groceries, as if there will be nothing to eat next week. Let alone all the business with buying presents. Everyone is just busy; if not with food preparations then definitely with cleaning the house.

There will be intense prayers, listening to the Shofar, having a delicious Yom Tov meal and so on. What we should not forget are those Jews who either cannot afford a great Yom Tov meal and depend on welfare. At the moment, various religious and further private organizations are giving out food packages for the needy. Wine, meat, rice and a few candies for the kids. Thousands of Israelis depend on those packages. 

Plenty of haredi families are also struggeling and can hardly afford the expensive upcoming holidays such as Rosh Hashana and Sukkot. Some time ago, I interviewed a Chesed organization located in Mea Shearim and, in case someone is in the lucky position and doesn't know what to do with all of his money, "LINAT HA'CHESED" could be a great Zedakah opportunity. 

Besides the needy, there are also lots of Jews spending the Chagim in hospital. For the past eight or nine weeks, I have been visiting the 19 - year - old American girl Jordan at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. I haven't written about it in detail yet but will do so after Rosh Hashana. About two months ago, Jordan and I got hit by two Egged buses in front of the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. One of the bus drivers had left his bus without using the brakes properly and his bus started to move backwards injuring Jordan and me. I was out of hospital after one night but suffered from bruised ribs and skin abrasions. Jordan was severely injured and is only returning to the US these days. After three operations at Hadassah, she will be undergoing rehabilitation in the States. Both of us were extremely lucky having survived the accident. Not only that but we were also saved from suffering internal injuries. For me, this was THE year having survived a bus rolling upon me. It seems as if G - d Himself was turning the wheel, as the bus pushed me onto another bus but, at the same time, made a turn to the other side. 

Unfortunately, most of us only appreciate health when we are getting sick. When we suddenly cannot even tie our shoes anymore or, like me, are not able to use the toilet. Only then we realize how precious it is to be healthy. 

The accident made me think and let me tell you: "All the money in the world won't help you when a bus is moving towards and hitting you !" We are all so terribly busy working, planning our lives, our careers but we forget the most important thing: TO LIVE !

To all those people who are forced to spend Rosh Hashana in hospital:
May you have a speedy recovery, Refu'ah Shlemah and a great holiday ! 


Link:

The LINAT HA'CHESED HOMEPAGE

Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem

The Emergency Section

Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital has a constant exhibition of the famous Marc Chagall windows. The exhibition is only open at certain hours and does cost entrance fee. 

The above drawings are from Marc Chagall part not part of the direct exhibition.

Sunset: View from Hadassah over the Jerusalem Forest

Photos: Miriam Woelke

The Jerusalem Bus and Tram Map 2012

The tram travels forth and back from Mount Herzl to Chayal HaAvir (after Pisgat Ze'ev) but it seems as if the Municipality is planning to extend the tram's route in the near future.

B"H

A brief update on the public transportation system in Jerusalem. Most of us inhabitants used to have our surprise at quite a few mornings when suddenly our buses had changed their routes overnight.

Here you can look up all Jerusalem bus lines:

http://www.orenstransitpage.com/otpisraelpics/jlembusmap/

Although the tram is not part of EGGED, but of a company called  CITYPASS, you are able to use your one - way - ticket for both companies. If you buy a one - way - ticket from EGGED, you are allowed to change either bus or tram once in one direction. The same with CITYPASS: If you purchase a tram ticket, you are allowed to switch onto a bus once by using the same ticket. 

A one - way - ticket costs 6,60 Shekels (approx. 1,15 Euro or 1,65 $).

Photo: Miriam Woelke

Link:

EGGED Trip Planner

August 2012: Free rooms are still available in Tel Aviv Hostels

B"H 

Usually about this time, all Tel Aviv hostels are booked and the places are packed. This year, however, at least two hostels are still offering rooms and dormitory beds. I spoke to the SKY HOSTEL as well as at MOMO's in Ben Yehudah Street. Both places are not the best but cheap and still have room.

I am in Tel Aviv for a few hours today and it is good seeing something else after all what happened. Exactly one bus ago, the Jerusalem bus accident took place and I still need to write an English report on this. My cuts on stomach and arms are almost healed but the bruised ribs keep on giving me a hard time. The worst though is laying down and it will take at least another month until I may be able sleeping on both sides of my body. This week, I am also going to visit the 19 - year - old American girl Jordan who was severely injured in the accident. Everything beyond is a case for our lawyers, as the EGGED insurance either has to ay us compensation or we are going to sue EGGED.

As I said, it is good to see something else and not to think about the trauma and the accident. While passing Dizengoff Square just two hours ago, I noticed that the Municipality finally fixed and painted the water fountain. There was a plan of demolishing the whole platform including the fountain in order to restore the shape of the former Square. In the end, the Tel Aviv Municipality didn't have enough money and dropped the plan. It was cheaper putting on some new colour instead of building an entire new Square.

The newly painted water fountain at Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv

 

 Photos: Miriam Woelke

Palestinians throwing stones at Jerusalem Egged Buses

Photo & Article: Be'Chadrei HaCharedim

B"H 

This kind of news you probably won't find around international news agencies. Even the regular Israeli press is not too much into the subject, as Palestinians keep on throwing stones at buses and cars all the time.

Last night, Mozzaei Shabbat, Palestinians were throwing stones at several EGGED buses traveling to the Kotel (Western Wall). The incidents happened near the Damascus Gate, at the borderline between East and West Jerusalem. 

Stones were thrown at the bus lines 1 and 3 and the drivers did the only right thing: Just continue driving and somehow reaching the Kotel. Never stop at the Damascus Gate, as Palestinians may storm the bus. 

When the buses got to the Kotel, medical aid was waiting for the passengers.  


I was in such an incident some years ago but then, the windows didn't break, as they were made out of plastic. The area around Damascus Gate is full of Hamas and it is not surprising that, many times, Jews going to the Kotel are being attacked or that stones are flying at Israeli cars.

UPDATE: EGGED Bus Accident July 9, 2012

 Sha'arei Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem

Photo: Miriam Woelke

B"H

Before I start publishing a detailed report about the tragic Egged bus accident taking place right outside Jerusalem's Central Bus Station, I would like to give you an important update. As I have already written, I was also injured in this accident but not as severe as the young woman who got crushed in between two buses. 

My injuries are slowly healing but my mind was always with this 19 - year - old American girl whose first name is Jordan. I saw her in this horrifying position stuck between the buses and since, I have been asking myself whether she survived and if yes, how is she recovering.

Today I went to the hospital where she is still kept in intensive care. I was allowed to speak to her mother and, Baruch HaShem, Jordan is recovering slowly. She is suffering from severe injuries such as a broken pelvis and has to undergo further surgery. Her mother invited me to come back next week and then speak to her daughter.

I am glad I went to the hospital in order to find out what is going on. However, it is disgraceful how EGGED is dealing with the situation. Neither myself nor Jordan and her family have ever heard from Egged but, instead, we are forced to take lawyers who have to deal with Egged's insurance to get us compensation. No word from Egged itself. So, be prepared in order a bus may be rolling over you.

Furthermore, the media hardly reported about this particular incident witnessed by at least 100 bystanders. Hopefully, beginning with tomorrow, I am going to publish a fully description on the incident.

Traffic Chaos in Agrippas Street / Jerusalem

B"H 

It has become harder to enjoy any freedom of space in downtown Jerusalem. Especially in the Nachlaot neighbourhood across the Machane Yehudah Market. 

Additional floors are being built on top of older buildings. Within the past years, Nachlaot has experienced a booming real estate demand whereas in previous years, in 2002 when I used to live there, a new flatmate could hardly be found. In those days, people looking for shared apartments rather preferred living in Old Katamon, the German Colony or the French Hill. Suddenly everything changed and now Nachlaot is the top address for sharing and new immigrants from the US buying houses. 

The hood has become an expensive area to live in. Carlebachers, self – appointed healers and artists, and now also plenty of Haredim have turned the former Kurdish and Moroccan immigrant slum into an overcrowded neighbourhood. Not only that but since Jerusalem’s new tram has started its job, almost the entire Egged bus traffic is going from King George / HaNevi’im Street through Agrippas Street up to the Central Bus Station. 

The Machane Yehudah Market is surrounded by Jaffa Road and by Nachlaot’s Agrippas Street on the other side. Agrippas Street is a long but narrow road and even before the buses came, the road was almost unable to manage all the car traffic. Let alone the masses of delivery trucks reaching the market every morning. Since last summer, the road has been constantly packed with thousands of Egged buses every day. Buses making their way from the Central Bus Station to Katamon, the outskirts, the German Colony, Talpiyot, Armon HaNatziv and vice versa. In times of rush hour, buses are standing in an endless line waiting to reach their destination which is the next bus stop across the Machane Yehudah Market. 

Right next to the road traffic, you find the sidewalks with thousands of people walking. Coming from the market with all their groceries, crossing the road in between the buses, bus stops located at the busy road … Agrippas Street has turned into a jungle. I rather prefer not to imagine a case where a bus is going wild, is having an accident and running into all those people on the sidewalks. 

Letting all the downtown traffic running through Agrippas is a big mistake but a real disaster has to happen until our Municipality may start thinking. Until then, people and buses continue making their way right next to each other.

I took all these photos last Thursday afternoon.

Photos: Miriam Woelke

Back after the Accident

B"H

A bus came rolling upon me last Monday evening. Location: Jerusalem, Central Bus Station. 

Three buses were involved in the accident and I got caught between two of them. One bus threw me against the second one and I was very lucky to have survived. Bruises and cuts, this is the result and I still suffer from the pain. However, my thoughts are with the young woman who got crushed between two buses. I saw her and it was a terrible experience being so full of pain and totally unable to help someone else. 

I was in hospital for one night due to my back injuries. Nothing was broken but bruised. However, I still have to manage with taking medication against the pain. Dr. Feelgood, so to speak. 

What I learned from this terrible incident ? That each of us needs to enjoy life. A day later I said BIRKAT HA'GOMEL with a friend although I know that one rather does this during the Torah reading. 

My decision, however, is to blog a bit less but concentrate on the book I am writing. Thus, I won't be blogging on a daily basis but 1 - 2 per week. More informative articles and getting my book together. 

Regarding the accident: The police are still investigating and I need to take a lawyer in order to deal with the legal stuff. What I won't do is concentrating on all the negative sides concerning life in Israel but rather on the positive. Society is not sending a bus after you every day.:-))) Meaning, Israeli society is not as bad as its reputation. 

It is necessary to look into the future in order to overcome the trauma and the shock of what kind of pictures I saw in the middle of the "bus battlefield". 

I want to dedicate this short article to the young American woman who is still hospitalized. I very much hope that her condition will improve !


Here a brief article about the bus accident:


http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/157668#.UAV-UfUrqnZ

Changing Bus Routes in Jerusalem

B"H 

Starting this Friday (29 June), Egged - Jerusalem is, once again, changing certain bus routes. 

The bus lines 15a, 15, 10, 9a + 2 will be totally canceled and the 5a bus is going to turn into number 51. 

Please note that the following bus lines are due to changes: 3, 7, 9, 14, 17, 35, 40, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 60, 74 + 75. A few of them will be new lines going especially through haredi areas such as Har Nof, Ge’ulah, Kiryat Belz or Sanhedria. Those bus lines will NOT have separate seating. At least not officially. 

At the moment, you will find at almost each bus stop young people handing out the new schedules. Also in English ! For further information please call the Moked *8787 (Kochavit 8787) !

Lag Ba'Omer and the Meron Craziness

B"H

Today was a really weird day for me. Many things went wrong and it was just as if Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was telling me to become spiritual and celebrate Lag Ba'Omer instead of running after materialistic issues. Its a long story and I am going to tell it tomorrow. In brief, I finally ended up in Jerusalem where I saw some really nice bonfires. Unfortunately I didn't have time for Mea Shearim in the end due to my materialism. However, here are some Lag Ba'Omer photos from Jerusalem. 

By the way, on my way home, I saw about twenty bonfires at Tel Aviv's secular neighbourhood Kikar HaMedina. All kinds of families had gathered lighting their own bonfires. 

A family starting its bonfire. Between the Belzer Beit Midrash in Agrippas Street and Jaffa Road (Jerusalem).

A bit further away, two bonfires were burning.

Jerusalem, Central Bus Station tonight: Mostly Haredim lining up at an extra EGGED bus counter for buying bus tickets to Meron.

Haredim storming to the Meron buses. I took this photo out of my bus to Tel Aviv. The window was quite dirty.:-)

Buses to Meron getting ready for the crowd.

Photos Miriam Woelke

Tel Aviv: The City without G - d

 Photo: Miriam Woelke

B"H 

Tel Aviv's Mayor Ron Chulda'i is making another attempt turning our city into a second New York. Last week, the city council decided to let the local buses run on Shabbat. A disgrace and totally unnecessary. However, Chulda'i claims that many inhabitants need a bus on Shabbat in order to travel and let alone all those tourists who are left out on the seventh day of the week. Now the Mayor has to wait and see whether the Ministry of Transportation is going to agree to his request. 

In the meantime, left - wingers have been demonstrating in front of the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa, as they want the Jewish religion to be left out of the public life. 
To all those Israelis thinking the same way:

If Israelis cut G - d out of their lives they will loose their own country.

Ynet: "A City without G - d"

Gender Separation on Israeli Buses ? Problem Solved !

Ladies upstairs, men downstairs.

Source: Manishmah.Com

My (haredi) No. 1 Bus Ride

B”H  

Yesterday I took the no. 1 bus from the Kotel (Western Wall) to downtown Jerusalem. The driver was Arab, the passengers half haredi, half secular and half another mix. I got onto the bus in pants and was hoping not to be stared at as someone coming to make trouble. Usually I know the bus as mainly haredi and thus a voluntarily separate gender seating. 

The bus was full but all passengers sat wherever they wanted. No gender separation and even the Haredim were seating here and there. No fuss, no complaints and no one making trouble. The leftists would have been bored on that mostly religious EGGED bus.

Changes in EGGED Bus Fares / January 2012

The tram in Jerusalem

Photo: Miriam Woelke

B”H 

Starting from January 1, 2012: The state - owned Israeli bus company EGGED raised many bus fares. A local one - way - ticket in Jerusalem as well as in Tel Aviv costs now 6,60 Shekels. The difference is that in Jerusalem, passengers are allowed to use a second bus with the same ticket. 

Usually we all expect a raise in bus fares but when I bought a ticket from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem yesterday (including the return), I found out that the price for the ticket got cheaper. From formerly 34 Shekels it went down to 30,60 Shekels. 

In case you are planning to buy a one - way - ticket for Jerusalem's tram: Although the tram is not part of EGGED, the fare is still 6,60 Shekels. 

The haredi bus driver

B"H

I am just coming back from my daytrip to Jerusalem. There wasn't so much to do in the capital today, as we had (and still have) ongoing heavy rain showers all over the country. The friend I was visiting suggested that we buy a ticket for the new tram and just take a longer ride to one of the final stops. So, we went from downtown Jerusalem to the outskirt Pisgat Ze'ev. 

The Pisgat Ze'ev neighbourhood was built about 15 - 20 years ago for the wave of new Russian immigrants streaming into Israel. However, it turned out that more Israelis were moving into the new neighbourhood than Russians. Surrounded by Arab neighbourhoods like Shuafat and Beit Chaninah, the Egged bus line often had trouble traveling. The bus was stoned by Arabs many times until Jerusalem's Municipality built a special tunnel for the bus. Now the new tram is directly going through Shuafat and Beit Chaninah until Pisgat Ze'ev. 

We had an interesting ride and I took quite a few pictures I am going to publish within the next days. 

On my way back to Tel Aviv, we had a haredi bus driver. In fact, I haven't seen too many haredi bus drivers driving bus no. 405 from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv's Central Bus Station. Tonight it happened. We were only very few people on the bus and one passenger started asking the driver about the latest leftist attacks on Haredim and Mehadrin buses. Only yesterday, a whole group of leftists again tried to strom into a Mehadrin bus but the bus driver refused letting them in. It is only them causing trouble but, in the end, even those leftists admitted, that the Mehadrin bus was not that bad at all and they left. 

Our bus driver reacted very emotional and stated that this has been going on for more than a week now. Israel's left trying to storm into haredi buses or yell at haredi bus drivers running other bus lines than the Egged Mehadrin buses. "They (the left) is receiving funding from abroad in order to cause trouble in Israel. All those attacks are just disgusting and the media is not ashamed of itself. Cutting Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef's statements out of context and publishing everything the way they (the media) want". 

People on the bus agreed and, fortunately, we didn't have any of those crazy haredi - hating leftists on the bus looking for trouble.

Local Egged buses in Jerusalem

Photo: Miriam Woelke

Going to Jerusalem

B"H

I am going to Jerusalem today in order to look around and catch a bit of the ongoing atmosphere in Ge'ulah and Mea Shearim. If this is possible because the weather is freezing cold. Last night it was pouring rain and no one is in such a good mood either. 

A Mehadrin bus from Egged. As you can see, married couples are allowed sitting together.

Regarding MODESTY (ZNIUT)

B”H 

Israel’s leftist paper YEDIOT ACHARONOT (Online it is called YNET) is spreading more propaganda referring to a new haredi scandal. Beit Shemesh is already out and now a female soldier was mocked on a haredi bus in Jerusalem. It seems like anyone is suddenly using haredi buses and causing a mess. If any Haredi complains, the person provoking is immediately calling YEDIOT ACHARONOT. 

Strange because hardly anyone before has ever complained. Also strange that have never faced any problems while traveling in pants or walking through Bnei Brak or other haredi areas in pants. I admit that I don’t enter certain areas wearing pants. Those areas with modesty signs. Example: I do not enter the Mea Shearim market or the Batei Ungarin in pants ! 

Furthermore, I won’t stand right in front of the Western Wall (Kotel) while wearing pants. When I come to the Kotel in pants I stand behind the separation between Kotel and tourists. When I come in a skirt, I stand right at the wall praying. Those decisions I have made for myself and try not to hurt anyone else’s feelings. I do respect haredi neighbourhoods and don’t enter the strictest areas in pants. I also respect G – d and don’t approach the Kotel in pants. 

When you go to an opera or theatre performance, you also dress up in a special way. Even the St. Peter’s Church at the Vatican only allows visitors dressed modestly and not wearing a bathing suit or short pants. 

Almost two years ago I wrote an article about an incident happening to me on haredi bus lines. I wasn’t yelled at but just the opposite happened. Unfortunately, not too many media sites report about positive matters.

Men touching women on public Israeli buses

B”H 

After all the fuss Tanya Rosenblit caused with her provocation on a Mehadrin bus from Ashdod to Jerusalem, many Israeli women have started asking themselves whether a gender separation really stands for discrimination. The latest poll among women from Tel Aviv shows an interesting result: Many women complained about men touching them on public buses. Once those men are caught, they justify themselves by saying that the bus is too crowded and thus, one has to get closer to the person standing next to him. 

A while ago, quite a few national religious women made the same statement and preferred separated buses, as then they are not being starred at. I am against separated buses but there are situations when I would prefer having one. I remember a scene from a few years back when a young haredi man started touching a young married woman on the Jerusalem Egged bus line 15. While going to the haredi Givat Sha’ul neighbourhood, the bus was packed with Beit Yaakov girls and a young haredi guy in his 20ies started getting closer to a married woman. She told him three times not to touch her or get closer to her. First the guy didn’t care and started again. However, when the woman raised her voice and people started staring at him, he finally stopped his attempts. 

I witnessed the whole scene and found the behaviour of the Haredi more than disgusting. If I had been the woman, I would have slapped him right in his face.

The Truth about Tanya Rosenblit

B"H

The truth about Tanya Rosenblit differs a lot from the left - wing media articles:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/150832#.TvAvUF12rZJ