Stories Of The First Station

The opening ceremony of the station – September 1892

Many of the residents of Jerusalem came to see the wonders of the city: the train. The ceremony was attended by many public figures and dignitaries. On the magnificent stage stood the Turkish pasha, a group of guests from Istanbul, ambassadors and others.

The newspaper Hamelitz described the train’s arrival as “the whistle of the steam machine and the iron cars stood on the square of the Netivibah” and Eliezer Ben Yehuda wrote in his newspaper “Haor” that Hector Afikim and rivers, mountains and hills … and loud shofar came to the gates of the city A city whose inhabitants are recoiling from the pulse of life, a city that has no sleep, who cherish the dark, the relatives of the dead, here it comes, and the sound of the shofar on its lips! ”

The train station attack – October 1946

1946 was full of struggles between the British government in Palestine and the fighters of the underground. On July 22 the King David Hotel was blown up in Jerusalem, causing many casualties and worsening tension in the city. On October 30, several Irgun members gathered to blow up the Jerusalem train station.

Members of the underground came to the station disguised as carrying explosive bags. Due to early intelligence information, police and detectives were waiting for them at the station, and a chase was started. Following the operation, one of the underground members, Meir Feinstein, was sentenced to death. Feinstein blew himself up in his cell in prison, along with Lehi member Moshe Barazani.