Minister of Labor & Social Affairs (Likud) Chaim Katz has given general approval for soccer matches to be held on Shabbos.
The permit will apply to all workers on the field, including professional soccer players, as well as employees who perform work that supports the proper management of soccer games and employees employed to transport workers to the field.
The draft of the permit was distributed to the public for 21 days to permit comment and objections. Minister Chaim Katz examined the public’s position and signed a general permit for the industry on Sunday morning, 9 Nissan, after being authorized by the Ministerial Committee on Shabbos. Application of the permit is conditional on the employer paying additional remuneration for work hours at weekly rest and also granting the employee an alternate day of rest in accordance with the hours of the Shabbos, as stipulated by law.
Minister Katz added: “The general permit preserves the status quo that has been in place since the establishment of the state. We will continue and strengthen the sport in Israel”.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
Perhaps those Shomer Shabbos that attend soccer games should protest this grievous chilul hashem by boycotting
those games played on Shabbos. Money Talks even though politicians can’t. May Pesach be a time of Freedom from their yeitzer harah of the “holy soccer ball” and enjoy the real holy day of Shabbos..
I’m not sure how this maintains the “status quo” but at the same time, the secular state should not be legislating shamiras Shabbos. Give people a reason to want to be shomer Shabbos and offer families alternatives to a professional sporting event but don’t waste time telling them they cannot do so if that’s what they want.
For a smart country,when it comes to soccer games,Israel becomes really dumb.One would think that they would want to have the games on a day like,Sunday,when even the national religious could go and watch,but nope.
They specifically have the games to our great sorrow still on Shabbos,and it is an extremely sad thing to see Shabbos so desecrated by these games.
Busha V’Cherpa
There are no words
Just pain
May the galus quickly end!
R”L
What YWN is forgetting to stress is that this is being done with the complete approval and go ahead from our wonderful frum representatives in the Knesset. It was part of the agreement to reinstate Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman’s job after he resigned over the chillul Shabbos. The irony!
Kikar Hashabbat changed their headline from squarely placing the blame where it belongs, on the frum MK’s to Minister Katz. Here is the tweet from Kikar Hashabbat which includes the original headline.
https://twitter.com/kikarhashabat/status/977857770107138050
@Gadolhadorah, the problem is, the secular soccer players don’t want the games on Shabbos. There was a letter of over 300 soccer players who petitioned the Supreme Court to enforce the law and stop the games on Shabbos. The Supreme Court turned to the government and said, either stop the games or legalize them. So the government legalized them, but not before receiving the full approval of the frum MK’s. This was part of their agreement for Litzman to get his job back. The reason why the frum MK’s won’t fight is because ‘this is the best government for chareidim’ and ‘it will strengthen Lapid’. So instead we’re doing Lapid’s job for him! Most western countries have one day a week off. In most countries it’s Sunday. In Israel it should be Shabbos. From a secular person’s perspective, he wants a day off once a week.