Once again Finance Minister Yair Lapid is in the media for angering the Shabbos observant community – this time for gathering the media to make a statement on Shabbos. It is customary that cabinet minister do not conduct non-urgent business publically on Shabbos and yomtov.

Lapid this past Shabbos instructed member of his staff, civil servants, to send a message to correspondents that landed in their email at 12:06. The message informed the media the minister planned to hold a press event to address the recent Standard & Poor’s announcement vis-à-vis Israel’s credit standing.

The matter was so urgent for Lapid that he held a press conference four hours later, on Shabbos afternoon at the entrance to his home on Meir Feinstein Street in Tel Aviv. The correspondents were asked to RSVP via their email is they planned attending the 16:00 media event.

The condemnations against Lapid came from many non-frum politicians too, including Meretz leader Zahava Gal-On, stating his actions displayed a lack of concern for members of the press, who were summoned to an event rather than being able to enjoy the day of rest with their families.

Rabbi Elyakim Levanon Shlita, Rav of the Shomron Regional Council and prominent dati leumi posek calls on Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett to break from the coalition to compel elections in response to the blatant chilul Shabbos. The rav was asked and in his response he added “Bayit Yehudi should have broken from the coalition some time ago…”, calling for the move now following Lapid’s Shabbos press conference.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)