When You Have to Take the Bus

17 Elul 5785

I had been contemplating writing something about the bus situation in Israel for awhile but the reports coming out of the latest terror attack in Jerusalem has really made an opportunity for this discussion.

To recap from the media... 

Shocking Testimony: "The Arab-Israeli bus driver collaborated with the terrorists

A chilling testimony from an eyewitness has cast suspicion on the driver of the bus targeted in Sunday’s terror attack in Jerusalem, suggesting cooperation with the assailants.

Malka Cohen, a passenger on the bus, described the terrifying moments in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14. According to her, the No. 62 bus was packed with passengers and inexplicably stood still at the station for seven minutes without moving, as the driver refused to let passengers move, or leave, without any traffic nearby, as he refused to answer why he is standing still - the only moment he opened the front door, was to let the two killers inside.

“The bus didn’t move even though the road was clear. People asked why it wasn’t going and the driver refused to answer,” Cohen recalled.

“Then, as soon as he turned off the engine, at that moment, the door opened, the terrorists entered. I managed to escape at the very last moment.”

Cohen added that the driver did not allow passengers to get off despite the standstill:

“It was so crowded you cannot imagine, and people wanted to get off but he wouldn’t let them. The moment the engine shut down, the doors opened, and the terrorists came in.”

Cohen said she and a small group near the back door managed to flee, while those seated closer to the front were struck. “I suddenly heard gunfire that pierced the ears and body. I crawled under another vehicle trying to survive.”

While authorities have not confirmed cooperation between the driver and the terrorists, Cohen’s account has fueled suspicions.

There is a longstanding history of incidents involving Arab bus drivers from East Jerusalem, who make up most drivers in the capital. These include sexually harassing Jewish passengers, among other anti-Semitic incidents.

The investigation is ongoing, with officials yet to comment on whether the driver’s behavior was intentional or part of the attackers’ plan.

I think often while riding the buses that the way the Arab drivers treat the passengers is just another form of their warfare against us.  The same thing happens in the grocery stores.  They are at every level of our daily lives until you wonder why there are no Jews in these jobs.  I have yet to see any pharmacy where Jews were employed.  It's like they've cornered the market on medicine.  All the pharmacists and the workers behind the pharmacy counter are Arabs.  They also do a lot of the work behind the meat counter in the grocery stores, to the point where during their holidays, we might run low on chickens and such.  

Back to the buses, during Ramadan, the evening buses, right when people are getting off work, might not show up at all as the Arab drivers take time out to break their fasts.  What's worse though is the games they play, like pretending not to have noticed the bell or heard your screams to stop the bus at your stop, forcing you to have to get off only at the next stop so that you have to walk a long way back to where you needed to be - often loaded up with groceries, etc.  Or how about when you make an effort to get up early from oyur seat and try to make your way toward the door in the ever-present fear that they will take off with you still on board, and they play games with the breaks and the accelerator, causing people to fall or injure wrists or backs while trying to stay upright.  It's a regular thing with them.  Like I said - it's part of their war on us, only we have no defense.

My greatest fear has always been (even before Oct. 7th) that one might decide to take us into a PA-controlled area, God forbid!, and hold us hostage.  It's only by Hashem's grace that we survive.  They also regularly speed and cross the center line outside the city.  You can get tossed around a bit.  I must admit it does make us pray more.

It wasn't always like this.  I remember when I came here nearly 30 years ago, there were a lot of Jewish drivers, most of them wearing a kippah, and they were the regular drivers on their route.  They knew their regulars and you would hear them exchanging greetings by name.  Even up to around 2012, I had a regular Jewish driver to my home.  There were no worries about the daily trip because he was affable and capable and entirely reliable.  Since he retired, we've had a regular revolving door of drivers, all or almost all Arabs, whose names we don't know.  Sometimes the bus comes and sometimes it doesn't and if it doesn't, you don't tknow why or when the next one might or might not show up. 

I trust the Jewish drivers, if there are any left.  The Arab drivers, not at all.  I probably should be more thankful for the fact that they have at least stopped blowing up.