Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz has turned to Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, asking him to close down the city’s bike rental operation on Yom Kippur.
Katz acknowledges the significance of the project in Tel Aviv, but accuses the mayor of using the project to advance a political agenda, explaining such a move is “most fortunate as well as offensive and compromises the holiest day of the year”. The minister calls on Mayor Huldai not to cross red lines, explaining there is a national consensus regarding the solemn day and it would be most unfortunate for Tel Aviv to ignore this reality.
Using his powers of persuasion, Katz informs the mayor that if he does not retract his decision to permit the citywide bike rental system to operate on Yom Kippur, he will cut off national government funding for the project.
Tel Aviv officials responded, lamenting “the minister’s effort to compromise the Tel Ofen bike rental project, which is a splendid alternative to public transportation in the city”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
2 Technicalities:-
a) Any regular Shabbos is Holier than Yom Kippur.
b) Ridding a bicycle assuming there is no motor, is not an actual Melocho mid’Orraisso.
Notwithstanding, it would be a scandal of total depravity to have such bicycle rentals available on Yom Kippur. This in addition to the significant probability, that a bike rider will become thirsty & break the fast to consume water, and of-course a possibility of a bicycle riding accident requiring an ambulance etc.
They’re trying to compare it to when Shlomo Hamelech celebrated a Feast on Yom Kippur. But they are wrong, The story of Shlomo Hamelech was before Yoshiahu Hamelech found the only Sefer Torah. But form Yosiahu’s times and on, he tried to convince every Yid to “Abide by the Mitzvohs of This sefer torah that was found”. And he blamed all the Tzorohs because “We didn’t follw the Mitzvohs of This Sefer Torah that was found”.
You can bring a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. Yom Kippur has as much significance to a Chiloni as Yom Hatzmot has to a Satmar Chusid. It’s time everyone learned that you can’t be everything to everyone and some people will not care about religion no matter how much you push it on them.