Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Dov Kalmonovitz announces his support for the closure of grocery stores in downtown Jerusalem on Shabbos. Kalmonovitz, from the Bayit Yehudi party, backs the planned closure of nine or ten grocery stores in the downtown area of the city that have been operating on Shabbos.

Kalmonovitz stated “I welcome the mayor’s effort to protect the tradition and Shabbos in Jerusalem. The mayor’s planned closure of the grocery stores in the center of the city is warranted. Jerusalem is not like any other city. We must maintain and develop the traditional character of the city which makes it unique from any other city in the country and around the world…”

Kalmonovitz adds that residents who wish to shop on Shabbos may do so in Arab-owned stores, explaining there are non-Jewish neighborhoods in which businesses operate and this permits those wishing to shop to do so without compromising the character of the city.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)