JUC, where I’m attending, is situated on the slope of the Hinnom Valley on Mount Zion. In 1948-1967, the West Bank was controlled by Jordan and the green line (the border between Israel and the West Bank) went around Mount Zion, leaving it in Israel but the territory around it in Jordan. This was a problem for Mount Zion, leaving it in a vulnerable position. The Israeli military positioned some troops on the campus (this is before JUC moved in), keeping an eye on the Jordanians. There was a trench to slowly crawl through that went down the valley and back up to the other side to move soldiers. But to effectively move supplies, they came up with a faster system. They strung a cable across the valley and attached a cable car. During the day the cable was lowered and it was raised up at night. This kept it invisible. The Jordanians never knew about it.
Today the cable stays stretched across the valley. On the other side is a small museum, the Cable Car Museum. It’s free to enter, accessible through the Mount Zion Hotel next door. The cable stretches over to JUC and ends in my dorm room! Yes, I am staying in the historic cable car room. There is so much history on this little campus!
