Fierce fighting raged in all sections of Jerusalem during the War of Independence, as outnumbered and poorly supplied fighters attempted to keep the city from being overrun on multiple sides by troops of the invading Arab League countries. But nowhere did the battles blaze hotter than around the Old City, the strategic and spiritual heart of Jerusalem.

For an up-close look at one of the conflict's lesser-known chapters, set aside some time for a visit to the free Mount Zion Cable Car Museum. A secret cable car was constructed during the war by engineer Uriel Jefetz; it was used only under the cover of darkness to ferry supplies from Jewish-controlled west Jerusalem to fighters battling Jordanian troops atop Mount Zion, and to ferry back the wounded.

The cable car was retired after the war, but kept secret by the IDF until 1972. The museum contains the original cable car and a variety of photos documenting this particular chapter of the War of Independence.