It has almost become a minhag, that every few years, as the fight between the Beis Yisrael Neighborhood Council by Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem is working to have the area stores shut down no later than 11:30pm. The council feels that by remaining open at the late hour attracts bochrim who are not from the area, not among those learning at Mir, and their presence is unwanted by the community.

In a letter they sent to the owners of the neighborhood’s businesses, “In the name and mission of thousands of residents of the Beit Yisrael neighborhood of Meah Shearim, and the students of Shmuel HaNavi, Bar Ilan and the area, and under the guidance of the Gedolei Yisrael Roshei Yeshivos and all neighborhood rabbis, and in coordination with all the hechsherim certifying your stores, businesses must close by 11:00pm-11:30pm as is customary in all neighborhoods of Jerusalem and in accordance to the law.”

“Since Sunday, 16 Cheshvan 5778, the place has been operating late at night and is a nuisance and disturbance to the normal lives of thousands of residents, especially the elderly, women and infants. Remaining open late, your business becomes an attraction for hanging out”.

The letter adds most store owners are pleased, wishing to close and go home for as long as they all do. It also points out the badatz hashgacha that certifies the stores remains determined to enforce this, to avoid the hanging out that would occur during the late hours of the night. The badatz will be informing the stores of this as well, explaining compliance is necessary to continue being certified by the kashrus agency.

Storeowners wishing to operate late at night explain the bochrim come after seder shlishi, hungry and looking for items to eat, so they are in fact supplying a necessary service. They add that most of the stores are not located near residential homes, rejecting contentions that their remaining open results in disturbing people late at night.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)