Cable Car Museum

If you haven't already, go back to read my blog from 9/12 - about the Cable Car Story (scroll down to bottom of blog and click on September, you will find it). That's when I first introduced you to the cable car and the long cable that stretches all the way across the Hinnon Valley, from a hotel right next to Succat Hallel (24/7 house of prayer) all the way to JUC, above my head through my bedroom, and anchors in the hallway outside my bedroom door. Today I went to visit the Cable Car Museum that is in the hotel. Here I am walking past the Hinnon Valley, which the cable stretches over.

(Just to remind you, this is what the steel cable looks like coming through my bedroom...)

 Here's the museum!!  This cable car was secretly used by the Israelis in the 1948 war of independence to transport back and forth weapons, supplies, and the wounded from Mt Zion (where JUC is, which was a military outpost at the time) across the valley to an eye hospital, which is now the Mt. Zion hotel.

 The hospital was the British Hospice Ophthalmic Hospital of Jerusalem.

 Here's the equipment/winch that was used to hoist up the steel cable after dark and transport the cablecar across the valley. Before dawn, they would lower the cable to hide from the Jordanians.

 Closeup of the winch.

 Soldiers using the winch in 1948

 Click on this to enlarge this information so you know more about the cable car project....fascinating!!

Here's the inventor of the cable car system....Uriel Hefez...he looks pretty intelligent, don't you think?

 This is the view through the window where the cable car is hanging.

 The cable stretches from the window, through the museum to the winch.

 View through the (somewhat dirty) window in the museum of the cable car and cable stretching across to JUC on Mount Zion.

 Photo of the inventor with a couple of soldiers next to the cable car.

 Looking down from the hotel into the Hinnom Valley.

 Looking slightly to my right, the Hinnom Valley is winding around...that's Silwan village straight ahead, and the Mount of Olives is way up on the left side of the photo.

\

Now I'm standing outside of Succat Hallel, looking up at the cable car.

From Succat Hallel, a bird is perching on the cable that connects my bedroom to the Cable Car Museum!! :)