Snow patrol

February 5, 2010 - 9:01 AM by Brian Blum · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Immigrant Moments, Life

From the last big snowstorm

With Jerusalem on the verge of its bi-annual one-day snowstorm, I was reminded of the last time the white stuff blanketed the Judean Hills.

I’ll be the first to admit it. I’m not a big snow fan. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the beauty of a snowy day, I do. It’s very pleasant to look at…from a distance. But up close, it’s just so darn inconvenient. Especially in Jerusalem where everything shuts down. Completely.

In other locations around the world, a little snow means you might have to drive a little slower or put chains on your car tires. In Jerusalem, the city is paralyzed. Schools are closed. Supermarkets don’t receive deliveries. Bus service is canceled. Last time it snowed, even the trendy new Waffle Bar in our neighborhood was shut tight. I mean, what more could you want than a hot caramel and whip cream covered waffle on a cold snowy night, but no…

People who live outside of Israel don’t expect snow in Jerusalem. With our baking hot summers and close proximity to the Dead Sea, it’s easy to forget the city is perched on the top of a mountain, at an elevation of 2500 feet.

My worst snow experience in Israel by far was several years ago. It was during the time I was working in Tel Aviv. I needed to get back home but as I set out from my office, the news was reporting that the main highway to Jerusalem was closed. But Highway 443, which I’ve written about before, was still flowing, albeit slowly.

As I approached the summit near Givat Ze’ev, the snow became thicker and visibility dropped to just a few inches. Cars were skidding off the road, the sides of which were lined with people who’d gotten out of their non-functional vehicles and were actually walking in the meter high snow drifts, where to I don’t know. There was a bus turned over on its side.

I got on the cell phone with my wife and she talked me through three hours of the most treacherous driving I’ve ever experienced. There were times when other drivers whose vehicles had already skidded into oblivion physically guided my car when I could neither see nor steer. I was so traumatized I didn’t go back to work for the rest of the week. And don’t ask me about the phone bill (fortunately the company was paying).

These days, I work from home. That doesn’t entirely ameliorate my distaste for the Jerusalem version of the proverbial winter wonderland. But with everything I need just a 30 second commute away, I say: bring it on snow, I’m ready for you this time.

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