End of an era: Jerusalem to remove all remaining public phones

"The removal of public telephones is another part of the plan to improve the city's surface. Unmaintained telephones have become a nuisance that has no real need," said Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.

Public Telephone (photo credit: ELIYAHU HERSHKOVITZ)
Public Telephone
(photo credit: ELIYAHU HERSHKOVITZ)
In the '60s, '70s and '80s, children would not move out of the house without a token tied to one of the laces of their sneaker – in case of emergency where they would have to call their parents from a pay phone.
In the '90s, the kids were already progressing to a calling card, a telecard, and by the time the cellphones arrived, they tragically left all the public phones out-of-use.
Except for the people who don't have cellphones, yet.
 The late Teddy Kollek, legendary mayor of Jerusalem, talks on a public phone. (Photo credit: Nati Harnik / GPO)
The late Teddy Kollek, legendary mayor of Jerusalem, talks on a public phone. (Photo credit: Nati Harnik / GPO)
In 2020 in Jerusalem, it seems to be the end of the era of public telephones. The municipality intends to remove the 360 ​​public phones that still remain in the city. The removal of the public phones, which are currently considered as a nuisance in the public space, will begin in the coming days, Kol Ha'ir reported.
The Jerusalem Municipality recently announced that "following a meeting together with the Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and Bezeq CEO Dudu Mizrahi, they decided that all public phones in the city will be removed immediately. In the coming days, the municipality will begin removing them from the public space."
Lion declared "The removal of public telephones is another part of the plan to improve the city's surface. Unmaintained telephones have become a nuisance that has no real need. This is the end of an era."