Israelis told to learn British manners
THE IDEA that Israelis may one day be taught British standards of restraint and public decorum seems far-fetched — but Jerusalem’s tram operator is willing to give it a go.
CityPass, which manages the light rail network, has released a video animation informing Israelis about UKstyle etiquette on public transport.
“In London they let people get off the train first, instead of pushing their way on without looking,” says protagonist David, a Jerusalem man who has just returned from the UK and sports a Union Jack T-shirt.
A full two minutes of the Hebrew-language video — which is proving a hit in Jerusalem with 240,000 views so far — consist of David waxing lyrical about manners in London. He tries, with mixed success, to imitate them.
“In London people give respect to one another and don’t shout
— and compete
to give up seats to the elderly,” he says.
“Do you know what happens to people who get on the train without paying in London? Nothing. They simply don’t do it.”
CityPass has struggled to establish passenger etiquette since it launched its service in 2011.
David is so taken with London that he tells his friend it will take time “to get used to the mentality” back home in Jerusalem.
He says: “After you get used to travelling every morning on the under- ground you simply understand that our behaviour here is mistaken at its core.”
However, his enthusiasm gets the better of him at the end of the video, when he is so busy lecturing about London that he gets himself stuck between closing doors.