Owners of eight of Jerusalem’s 24/7 grocery stores are protesting on Thursday, 12 Elul against city plans to close them down on Shabbos. The owners of the store explain the forced Shabbos closure will spell economic disaster for them.

Chareidi Jerusalem councilmen have been stepping up pressure on Mayor Nir Barkat, calling upon him to enforce the law. They decry growing chilul Shabbos in areas of the city, including the center of town. The protestors on the other hand insist the mayor is capitulating to chareidi pressure, at their expense and they have decided to take their protest to the street.

What is important to understand is that the city’s regulations compels the closure of these stores, which have been operating on Shabbos to date. The Shabbos law applies to non-recreational establishments such as the convenience stores. Cafes and theaters however may open, but in the capital, most prefer to remain closed. The Kahn Theater has however announced it will begin operating on Shabbos, offering a program for children. At the heart of the renewed chareidi Shabbos closure effort is the new Yes Planet recreational complex that opened its doors this month and operates on Shabbos.

The Hisorarus coalition partner in Jerusalem City Hall is working to assist the store owners, insisting the mayor is simply being extorted by the chareidim. In the meantime, the owners of the stores in question insist that Shabbos is their most profitable day of the week and if forced to close, many of them will have to shut their doors entirely.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)