For the first time in at least 40 years, a regular public transportation route to Har HaZeitim (Mt. of Olives) is in operation - saving a half-hour walk for students of the Beit Orot hesder yeshiva.
The Egged Bus Cooperative, Israel's largest bus company, inaugurated the new route this week. The number 48 bus leaves the Hebrew University Mount Scopus bus terminal four times a day - 8:55am, 1:30pm, 6:30pm and 11:30pm - almost perfectly timed to help the yeshiva students arrive and leave for their morning and evening studies.
The circular route passes through the relatively new Mt. Scopus University tunnel, the Maaleh Adumim tunnel, and then Beit Orot Square, before traversing the Mormon University and Martin Buber Road and returning to the Hebrew University station.
Passengers on the maiden voyage on Sunday included MK Zevulun Orlev, who helped lead the thrree-year campaign for the route, National Religious Party Secretary-General Sar-Shalom Jerby, Beit Orot Director Shlomo Zwickler, Egged's Jerusalem Manager Nir Landau, yeshiva students, and neighborhood residents. Upon reaching Beit Orot for the first time by public bus, they alighted with song and dance, and Orlev was honored with cutting the ceremonial ribbon and reciting the Shehecheyanu blessing.
Some 150 students study in Yeshivat Beit Orot, several families live on campus, and plans are being made to build residential buildings. A new temporary Beit Midrash (study hall) was recently completed, furthering the development of the Irving Moskowitz Yeshiva & Campus alongside residential housing on the northern side of Mt. of Olives.
Yeshiva head Rabbi Danny Izak said at the bus-line ceremony, "With G-d's help, this route will soon become very profitable, with the establishment of a residential neighborhood as we fulfill the dream to rebuild Jerusalem."
MK Orlev said, "Whoever knows the history of the State of Israel knows that the borders of Jewish settlement were determined in accordance with the map of public transportation. Wherever public buses ran, a community could be built."
After the Egged representative emotionally told how his father was among the first soldiers to set foot upon Mt. Scopus during the liberation of eastern Jerusalem in the Six Day War, Beit Orot's Zwickler said, "We have grown accustomed to what the Talmud called the 'little-by-little' approach to Israel's redemption: 18 years ago, Yeshivat Beit Orot was established, and was the only Jewish point east of the Temple Mount. Then, little by little, it became a hesder yeshiva, the Beit Midrash expanded, a Jewish neighborhood was built - and now, a bus route connects the students, safely and conveniently, with central routes in Jerusalem."