The members of the Vaad L’maan Shabbos met earlier in the week to discuss a number of issues, with the meeting heading by a discussion surrounding the realization there is a noticeable decline in shmiras shabbos in Eretz Yisrael.
In Yerushalayim for example, there is a visible increase in the number of stores operating on shabbos, while City Hall does not seem interested in enforcing shabbos laws. The same was the case on Pesach unfortunately, with a larger number of stores in the capital open for business, publically selling chametz items.
A letter dating back to 5768 from gedolei yisrael addressing the matter was read, and the rabbonim spoke of the need to contact all mosdos, boys and girls, as well as summer camps and programs, to stress the need to ensure children are not taken to places/area with compromised tznius, calling on all involved to ensure that no one sponsors trips to any place that is not shomer shabbos.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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12 Responses
Are they making plans to increase kiruv to these people, sponsoring shabatonim, and teaching about the beauty of shabbos?
If they aren’t, I am afraid that all of their efforts may simply backfire and make these people resent Shabbos.
Why not take a cue from Chabad and welcome the not yet frum and be mekarev them?
Has anyone ever realized the high percentage of Yom Kipur and Bris Milah observance among Israelis? these 2 mitzvos are virtually the only ones that aren’t law, yet Israelis observe them the most. what does this correlation tell you?
Reply to #1:
According to the article the plan is not to think about what the frum yidden could do to make shemiras Shabbos more attractive, but to step up efforts to avoid having contact with these yidden and avoid seeing what they are doing.
You had thought that there would be a plan to do something constructive, that required self examination by the frummer as to what they could do better?
Dear Charvona, they aren’t the only people doing Kiruv by the way.
#4 – “The plan” is to protect children from a negative hashpah by avoiding places where things are not done as they should be. This is clearly a defensive meeting, meant to counter any secular influences seeping into charedei society, not an offensive meeting meant to plan kiruv, which is done sepeartly.
Why do you see this as a reason to spew your hateful motzai shaim ra about “the frummer”?!
I don’t know who the Vaad L’maan Shabbos is, but I have lived in Israel since 78, and came here first in 68. There is no doubt that more and more people observe shabbos.
Perhaps the noticable chillil shabbos has gone up since most Israelis have cars, etc to drive on shabbos, but in the old days, they did not drive, but they listened to their radio.
The religious communitees have INCREASED greatly in the past thirty years taking over entire areas that once was not shabbos observant.
BTW did you know that the GEULA neighborhood was once not observant?? YES it is true, but that was sixty years ago.
Don’t listen to this Vaad L’maan Shabbos group. They are just trying to raise money!
Rather than avoiding non-shomer Shabat people, I do out of my way to engage with non-shomer Shabat Jews and let them know that I am shomer Shabat and love it!
#3 pinnygold,
You make a great point about how coercion doesn’t work. It is true in other areas, as well. The country with the lowest abortion rate in the world among all countries with reliable statistics is the Netherlands — despite the fact that abortion there is not only legal, it is free to all citizens. The country also has the lowest teen birth rate in the world. But instead of trying to enact restrictive laws the way activists in America do, a significant effort was made starting about 40 years ago to change the culture in the Netherlands. It worked.
To Charlie Hall: you’ll be heartened by other organizations (not just Chabad) that set up “Shabbos tables” in malls and other public places and with great neimus engage the public.
Considering all the wonderful publicity the secular public has been exposed to regarding chareidim – violent Shabbos demonstrations, molesters being protected, eztreme verbal hostility to the not-yet-shomer-Shabbos, and so forth – it’s a wonder that there isn’t more chillul Shabbos.
Let’s get our act together, show that we really do what we preach, and do outreach, not sit around in meetings and call names. Ahavas Yisroel works, and you don’t have to be Chabad to do it.
#8 – Of course Kiruv is the way to go. However, we still need to protect our children and our society from any negative influnces form the secular world.