Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau Shlita has sent a letter to the city’s mayor, Ron Huldai, asking him to abandon plans to permit stores in the city to open on Shabbos. Rabbi Lau also turned to the mayor in 2012 when he asked City Hall to reverse a City Council decision to approve a request for public bus service on Shabbos.

In his latest letter, Rabbi Lau explains that opening stores on Shabbos would represent changing the city’s reality that has been in place since it was established 105 years ago. He calls on the mayor to reevaluate taking such a step. In his letter the rav writes that doing so “tears at my heart and I cannot remain silent”.

The rav adds that today many stores already operate on Shabbos R”L and giving permission to operate businesses on Shabbos will “not just result in Chilul Shabbos but the obliteration of Shabbos in the city”.

The city’s chief rabbi adds the matter of finding employees to work on Shabbos that by only hiring those will to be mechalel Shabbos, the city’s religious community will become victims of religious discrimination as a result of the new policy. Rabbi Lau states than in addition to all of this, “Thousands of children will have to be separated from their mothers and fathers on the day of rest”.

Speaking with Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Tuesday morning 16 Adar II, Rabbi Lau insisted that he is well aware with Tel Aviv and even those wishing to say “but it’s Tel Aviv” to permit Chilul Shabbos, that he is well acquainted with the city for many years. He reminds radio host Razi Barkai there are 547 shuls in the city that operate daily and there is no reason to change a long-standing situation that is in line with the city and the country. “What will we receive for opening stores seven days a week? Even the Koran refers to us as the ‘people of the Book’ and we are now going to try to turn us into the people of business?”

Galei Tzahal:

Your efforts have failed. This is the city that never sleeps so please leave us with our city and you can have the rest.

Rabbi Lau:

Tell me are Eilat, Ramat HaSharon, Herzliya, or Givatayim more frum than Tel Aviv? Nevertheless that are not officially changing the status quo and I hope Tel Aviv will decide to act similarly as have the city’s leaders throughout the decades.

The organization representing many makolet (small grocery store) owners in the city has also sent a letter to the mayor calling upon him to reconsider the request.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)