Thursday’s decision is undoubtedly a victory for secular activists as it has been finally decided that the Mitcham HaTachana complex by the Old Train Station will continue operating on Shabbos as it has been, and it will not close as chareidim hoped would be the case following a recent vote.
The venue has become a central location for non-religious families to spend Shabbos R”L, and they insist it is far from any frum area and therefore, it represents a continuation of the city’s religious status quo.
Following the final decision permitting the continued operation of the Mitcham on Shabbos, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat stated, “I am pleased to announce that with the approval of the District Committee, the Mitcham HaTachana that was established during my term, will continue to operate just as it currently operates in accordance with the status quo and the law.
“Jerusalem must know how to live together side-by-side. The status quo in the city means that there are restaurants and places of entertainment open on Shabbos, and there is no trade in the Jewish part of the city. This is exactly what is happening in the Mitcham and this has always been the case.
“The Mitcham HaTachana adds great value to Jerusalem and provides a response on Saturdays to various communities in the city – to the secular sector, the non-Jewish sector and tourists. We will continue to lead Jerusalem with the necessary balance so that everyone will feel at home.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
When I go outside on a Sunday, here in the Bible Belt, I lament at the sheer volume of traffic and commerce. I recall when it wasn’t so back up north.
Bravo on the need to force people to work seven days a week, on-call. Maybe they can have the whole 24 hour shift work deal too. Sounds wonderful never having a day off. Then we can make it like Miami, where the roads are cluttered and gridlocked through the early morning hours, some of which are people actually commuting in the middle of the night.
Sounds like a wonderful quality of life they’re celebrating.
One thing isn’t being mentioned here is that Moshe Le’on, the presumptive nominee for Mayor of Yerushalayim from Degel Hatorah and Agudas Yisrael, and the former nominee of the aforementioned parties in the previous election, proudly took the stage to announce that under his administration, the Mitcham Hatachana will stay open on Shabbos. This is the big tzaddik Moshe Le’on.