The Ministerial Legislative Committee has approved a bill introduced by MK (Ichud HaLeumi) Yaakov Katz that addresses residents of an apartment house complex wishing to install a shabbos elevator. The bill states that in an apartment building with at least two elevators, eight residents wishing to dedicate one as a shabbos elevator may do so providing there are willing to undertake the costs involved in installing the shabbos command apparatus. The bill stipulates buildings that have more than 32 tenants.

A similar bill was introduced by MK (HaBayit HaYehudi) Uri Orbach, who addresses buildings with one elevator, requiring 25% of the residents to request a shabbos elevator. He feels that if a quarter of the residents want the elevator to operate on shabbos controls, then this should be sufficient.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)