Trempiyada (accent on the syllable -ya-) is
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
(טרמפיאדה, derived from the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
''trampen'') for a designated place at a junction of highways or main roads in Israel from which
hitchhiker
Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free.
Nomads have ...
s, called ''trempists'', may solicit rides. There are often many people waiting at trempiadas, and passing motorists often stop to pick them up. Trempiadas often also have bus stops at the same location.
Some scholars have pointed out the religious or spiritual connotation that hitchhiking carries in Israel. Nehemia Akiva Stern writing for the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
argued that it's "almost exclusively practiced by religious Zionists, mainly youth...primarily within the West Bank" and that "in short, the practice of hitchhiking within the West Bank is a ritual of sacred travel."
Etiquette
There is an unofficial etiquette governing trempiada use which determines priority for rides such as the obvious elderly before youth. Once inside there are certain courtesies that should be observed.
# One should not speak unless spoken to first.
# Secondly, one should not talk on the phone or with a friend when inside, and always say 'thank you' at the start and end of the ride.
# There is also a shorthand sign language for communication between hitchhikers and drivers.
# Hitchhiking is done by pointing to the ground with the hand far from the body, instead of raising a thumb.
# Hitchhiking in Israel is occasionally done with a printed sign to designate an obscure location differing from that of all the other hitchhikers at a particular trempiyada.
# As a safety precaution the driver should be saying where he/she is going instead of the 'trempist' saying where he/she needs to get.
Incidents
Hitchhiking in Israel has been the source of political tension and has sometimes resulted in incident. Most notably in 2014,
three Israeli teenagers were abducted whilst hitchhiking and found deceased soon after. Following the event, there was increased hostilities between Jewish and Arab communities. Critics blame the event on the "cavalier" attitude of young Israelis hitchhikers. Further, some journalists have observed that some Israelis insist on hitchhiking as a demonstration of their freedom and right to travel. Despite tensions and events of violence, many insist on hitchhiking and affirm its institutional role in Israeli society.
See also
*
List of junctions and interchanges in Israel
This is a list of named junctions ( he, צומת, ''tsomet'') and interchanges ( he, מחלף, ''mechlaf'') in Israel in alphabetical order. Intersecting road numbers and/or road names are given in brackets. Alternative names by which junctions a ...
*
List of highways in Israel
This is a list of Israeli highways. Besides highways in Israel proper, it includes highways in the West Bank and the Golan Heights, because the Israeli administration maintains them in these areas.
There are 48 designated Israeli highways. Most of ...
*
Liftershalte
*
Slugging
Slugging, also known as casual carpooling, is the practice of forming ad hoc, informal carpools for purposes of commuting, essentially a variation of ride-share commuting and hitchhiking. A driver picks up these non-paying passengers (known as ...
*
Flexible carpooling Flexible carpooling is carpooling that is not arranged ahead of time, but instead makes use of designated meeting places. It seeks to replicate the informal " slug-lines" that form in Washington DC, Houston, and San Francisco, by establishing more ...
References
Transport in Israel
Israeli culture
Hitchhiking
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he:טרמפיאדה