Sherut From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

I rode from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by Sherut. The cost is 50 Shekels and the driver delivers you right to your destination. The driver and passengers were all very convivial, and let me borrow their cell phones several times to call my nephew, Max Stoneman, who was waiting to meet the green traveler when he arrived at French Hill in Jerusalem. On the drive I had a long, serious discussion with an Hassidic Jew by the name of Avraham Bamberger. He is originally from England, has lived in Israel for 13 years and has a young family. He is a scholar and the associate of one of the most renowned Rabbis in Israel. He took a great interest in me, even gave me his phone number telling me that he would be happy to assist me during my trip. We talked much of Jerusalem, the Temple and my work as a judge.

The driver delivered me to the north gate of the student housing area of Hebrew University, where Max met me.

November Itinerary

I just booked my flights to eastern Europe and the Middle East for this November. I will be traveling to Kyiv by way of Detroit and Amsterdam on Saturday and Sunday, November 7th and 8th. On Monday November 23rd I will travel from Kyiv to Tel Aviv, Israel by way of Prague, arriving early in the morning on the 24th. I will then spend five days or so in Jerusalem, and fly home from Tel Aviv by way of New York City on Sunday the 29th of November.

My itinerary allows for me to have about three days of unscheduled time in Kyiv at the end of my teaching responsibilities, which will enable me to explore some of the sights I missed during my 2007 trip. For example, I want to spend more time in Pecherska Lavra.

One of the big adventures for me will be finding my way from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and then to Hebrew University (which is technically on the east or Palestinian side of the 1949 Armistice Agreement Line), especially since my flight arrives in Tel Aviv from Prague at something like 4:00 in the morning! My nephew (and Jerusalem resident expert) will no doubt give me pearls of wisdom about how to get to his house, but from what I can read online, the best solution is to take a Sherut (or shared taxi van) from the airport right into Jerusalem. More about this later.