The Jerusalem Light Rail

I am blessed to be able to live in a city with cheap and efficient public transportation. The form of transportation that has received the vast majority of my own and my friends' business and use is the Jerusalem light rail, an above-ground train that goes throughout West Jerusalem with stops near the Old City, Yad Vashem, the government district, and so many other places.Coming from a city where walking isn't encouraged and public transportation consists of dangerous old buses and expensive taxis, a fully functioning light rail system is a Godsend. The system was built about a year ago and is fully functional, and one way tickets cost about two dollars. There is a station at the base of Mount Scopus, about a ten minute walk from one of the student village gates. There have been several panic-driven sprints to the station to buy tickets and jump on the train pulling away or suffer the "indignity" of waiting ten minutes for the next one. Once inside the train, you step into a microcosm of Israeli society. Orthodox rub shoulders with secular, old men sit together discussing current events, children run by laughing and using the handholds above your head as monkey bars, teenagers wander around in packs, arms full of shopping bags, on their way home from the mall, and towering over all, soldiers silently keep watch, machine guns loaded and ready for use if need be. It is fascinating to watch the interactions between people on the train here. In the back of my mind, I'm always thinking about how dangerous Israeli public transportation can be, and sometimes I see that fear reflected in the eyes of other travelers. Today, I jumped on the train to go down to the Old City. The other day we had received an email and text alert from Hebrew U warning of a heightened security situation and to be extra cautious about using public transportation. When I got on the train (the Old City is about a ten minute's ride from Mount Scopus) I saw very few other people on the train itself and security guards everywhere, checking tickets and making no effort to hide their bullet proof vests and handguns. Each one had a radio and a secret service type earpiece. They were young guys, looking to be in their mid-twenties, and most of them were gathered in the center of the train trading jokes and laughing. I'm guessing that they were all part of Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service (like our FBI on steroids). Guards were stationed at the front and back of the train, watching the eight or nine passengers who were riding. I had brought a backpack with me, and before sitting down I showed the nearest security officer that it was empty. I never felt particularly nervous or frightened for those ten minutes. I figured this kind of thing happens all the time here, and if there was a problem then the guys with guns would handle it. I had happened to catch the last train of the day, as the light rail closes early on Friday in preparation for the Jewish Sabbath and doesn't re-open until Saturday night. When I reached my stop, I just got off and wandered away, watching the train disappear over the hill. It's a great way to get around the city, and it doesn't take all of your money to get there. Save money, live better, light rail.