The majority of the Givat Shmuel apartment building is shomer Shabbos but the minority non-frum tenants oppose a Shabbos elevator, explaining they should not be compelled to stop on every floor to convenience the religious tenants.
Attorney Ofir Shachal has been hired to represent the non-religious tenants objecting to the Shabbos elevator, and eventually, the supervisor of Israel Lands Administration will be compelled to render his decision, responsible for such matters.
Shachal explains the question is simple, if a minority non-religious population of a building has the right to maintain regular elevator service on Shabbos and Yomim Tovim.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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One Response
My rav explained to me that even when an elevator runs automatically, the weight of the person riding it forces it to use more electricity to move, and is in effect still changing the flow of electricity. So a shabbos elevator is only permitted in emergency situations where extra leniency is called for, such as might be common in a hospital. Why would an apartment building need such a thing in the first place?