Israel gets rare snowfall - UPI.com An Ultra-Orthodox Israeli couple takes cover under an umbrella during a rare winter snow storm on Jaffa Road in central Jerusalem, February 2, 2012. Residents of Jerusalem woke to 1.575 inches of snow in the first snow fall in Jerusalem in more than two years. JERUSALEM, March 2 (UPI) -- A rare snowstorm shut down public transportation and schools in Jerusalem Friday, officials said. Dozens of snowplows and salt trucks were deployed to clear the streets of snow and ice, Ynetnews reported. It was the first time they had been called into action in two years, the Israeli news Web site said. About 1 1/2 inches had accumulated in Jerusalem with snow still falling. Police said bus service from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was halted. Snow in Gush Etzion prompted local officials there to close schools and police shut down roads in the area. Ynetnews said many other roads in the West Bank were blocked, including at Hebron and Kiryat Arba, and in the northern Golan Heights, where about 6 inches of snow was reported in Misgav Am. The news Web site said a wall collapsed in Safed, where schools were shut down. The snow had the positive effect of replenishing Lake Kinneret, where water levels had risen 3.5 inches in the past day.