10 February, 2008

Ready, aim...

Here's a sign that I pass often - it's on the highway from Jerusalem, right before the turnoff to my neighborhood in Efrat. This sign is always a bit alarming to me, although no one else has ever said a word about it, so I guess it's just me, as usual. Here's the background on my shock:

About six years ago, there was an attempted terrorist attack in the main Efrat shopping center. The whole town was shaken up for some time about it, and we haven't really taken our safety for granted since then.

Anyway, not long after, the Northern road in Efrat opened. Just to understand, Efrat is laid out long and skinny, like a baguette. Since it was founded, the entrance had always been from the Southern end. As time went on, more neighborhoods were built, further and further North, toward Jerusalem. When we moved to Efrat, we moved to Zayit, one of the Northernmost neighborhoods, but to get to Jerusalem, we had to drive to the Southern end of the baguette, and then re-travel the distance as we drove back North on the highway. This was obviously silly, and so an additional "Northern road" was eventually built, connecting up to the highway from the other end of the baguette.

When they finally opened the new road, saving us all a lot of travel time, they put up this sign on the highway, to explain which turnoff was which:
The proximity to the then-recent attack made this graphic seem pretty tactless to me. But like I said, I've never heard anyone else say anything about it - is it really just me?

4 comments:

hubscubs said...

just so you don't feel alone, when we moved to efrat, we definitely noticed the target sign, and we weren't even sensitive to the then-recent piguah.

we were thinking along the lines of the target super centers.

also, i recently blogrolled your blog, 'cause we find it hilarious! for a blogroll of only 10, i now have two curwins. gevalt!

toby said...

First off, that's pretty funny about Target...
Second, Wow! What an honor - I'm pretty sure I've never been blogrolled before. Thanks for the compliment, and please accept my blogrolling you back in return:)
See you in the next snowstorm...

Micha said...

Those are used on all signs pointing to city centers.

toby said...

Micha - yes, I found that out afterward, but this was the first time that I had noticed it...