Today, I took a taxi to Yad Vashem, the "The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority." It is located on Mount Herzl, and as we drove up the mountain and approached the museum grounds, the taxi was stopped by soldiers, the trunk was searched, and the driver was questioned before we could proceed. At the front door of the museum, my bag was searched by soldier, and another soldier examined me with a metal-detecting wand.
Later in the afternoon, I walked on Jaffa Road and Ben Yehuda Street, two of Jerusalem's main shopping avenues. There were guards posted at every store, and my bag was searched before I entered any cafe or crowded area. When I went to the open-air market, there were soldiers posted at all entry-points (see photo below; click to enlarge). Most soldiers are around 19 or 20 years old with giant machine guns.
