The Nazareth Traffic Court has accepted the defense of a young chareidi driver who was given a summons for driving too many passengers in his vehicle, four, which is prohibited until reaching one’s 21st birthday. Chaim Frankel told the court that on the Hebrew calendar, he was already 21 and the problem was only with the Gregorian date.

Chaim was given the summons in September 2007, when he was a new driver. The summons was issued two days before his 21st birthday on the Gregorian calendar. Chaim, a member of the chareidi community, tried explaining to the policeman that he marked his birthday two weeks earlier, in accordance with his calendar, the Hebrew date. The policeman wasn’t convinced and issued the summons.

Represented by attorney Roni Pollack, they told the court that he was not in violation of the law at all, as he tried explaining to the officer who stopped the vehicle for a routine inspection. Pollack pointed out the law states “having reached his 21st birthday” without specifying the Hebrew of Gregorian calendar, and since we live in a Jewish country that does relate to the Hebrew calendar, he was not in violation of the law.

Justice Elana Arieli accepted the defense, explaining the chareidi driver truly was unaware that he was breaking any law since for him, the date of his 21st birthday truly passed.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)