Over the last few days, at least three mayors have announced that they are joining an initiative led by Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, and that they will begin operating public transportation on the Sabbath. Ramat Gan, Ramat Hasharon and Givatayim, all bordering Tel Aviv, decided that they will join the initiative that would link their cities also on Saturdays. At the same time, other mayors have noted that they are also considering it. This kind of public awakening is very moving. In the absence of a functioning national government, local politicians are showing courage by taking the initiative and doing what should have been done years ago.
This municipal transportation initiative by Huldai — one of the most revolutionary mayors Israel has ever seen — is changing the agenda on the largest scale imaginable. It should provide for the needs of a large sector of the population, after decades in which efforts to help them were blocked, all in the name of the status quo and as a result of the enormous political power wielded by the ultra-Orthodox parties in the Knesset and city councils.
