Over 20 grocery store (makolet) owners petitioned the Tel Aviv District Court seeking a court order to City Hall to compel supermarkets in the city to close their doors on Shabbos.
The petition was filed five years ago. The owners of the small shops explained they close on Shabbos but the supermarkets continue to ignore the law and they are open for business, a reality that is making their livelihood increasingly difficult. The grocery owners explain the large stores can afford to pay the fine received for opening on Shabbos.
City Hall explains it does not have the authority to order the stores to close. It is empowered to issue a fine and that is all it can do.
According to the HaMevaser report, the court explained that the city is fulfilling its responsibility by levying fines against the stores. The court added that this is a sensitive issue, one that has been problematic since the creation of the state, the fine line between the Jewish character of the state and one’s freedom to select one’s lifestyle.
The court also ordered the petitioners, the owners of the grocery stores, to pay court fees in the amount of 75,000 NIS.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
I dont know who is right but i think the petitioners should just petition the fine to be directly proportional to revenue or at least to a number of cash registers in a store. This way all the stores will be on the same playing field.
reality = situation
Malls and most shopping stores in Bergen County in NJ are required by law to be closed on Sunday because it is the “Day of rest”. Wow – I guess those Tel-Avivniks are more emotionally sensitive than the Sopranos…