The Haifa municipality’s new cable car system linking the top of Mt. Carmel with the beach at Bat Galim, has been sold to a private consortium for $1.4 million. The purpose of the sale was to circumvent the ban on Sabbath operation of the facility imposed by the government under heavy pressure from the Orthodox religious establishment.
Saturday is the only day off for Israeli workers who might like to use the cable car to go to and from the beach. But the Orthodox say they will not tolerate a Sabbath desecration no matter who owns the cable car. They are supported by Premier Shimon Peres, who like all past Prime Ministers has complied with Orthodox demands rather than risk a coalition crisis.
The cable car, idle since completion, has other problems. The cars are Swiss-made glass gondolas of the type found at Alpine resorts. Critics say they may be fine for the snowy slopes but not for the intense heat of the long Israeli summer when passengers are likely to broil in the glass cocoons rather than enjoy the view.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
