The Rav of the Chareidi community in Rishon L’Tzion, Harav Moshe Nachshoni and MK Uri Maklev (Degel HaTorah) visited the manager of a Rishon L’Tzion taxi station, Max Butler, who recently began keeping Shabbos due to anti-Chareidi Tiveria mayor Ron Kobi, who was ousted from his position last month.

Butler told them what led to his decision to close his station on Shabbos: “The story of Ron Kobi horrified me and I felt terribly pained. I said that we’ll be pioneers and we’ll close the station on Shabbat. After a few Shabbatot of not opening the station on Shabbat, I said to myself – why am I smoking? I stopped smoking on Shabbat and I committed to being shomer Shabbat. Shabbat protects me.”

“Our main work day was Shabbat but we overcame the difficulties.”

“People contacted me from all over the world, including non-Jews, who were moved by my decision to be shomer Shabbat,” Butler said. “This is the eighth Shabbat I’m keeping.”

“One non-Jew who contacted me asked me to connect him to a Rav because he wants to convert. I was so excited I couldn’t work. Dozens of people began to be shomer Shabbat in the zechus of the publicity from my shemiras Shabbat.”

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Maklev said to Butler: “I heard what you did and I decided that I must come to be mechazek you. From hundreds of invitations, I davka wanted to come here. Your shemiras Shabbos didn’t emerge from a vacuum. It was the result of a Jew in a public position [Ron Kobi] who stood up and tried to be mechallel Shabbos by force.”

“I believe that everything that Hakadoh Baruch Hu brought about was to be mechazek Am Yisrael in shemiras Shabbos. We see this here – if he hadn’t harmed the Shabbos you wouldn’t have begun to be shomer Shabbos. What you did is a message that every person can do it. It’s a very important thing.”