In light of the guidelines of maranan verabonon, the
gedolei umeorei hador, rabbonim, roshei yeshiva, Torah-
observant Jews from all circles are asked to boycott the
stores which publicly trample Shabbos in the Yarkonim
junction shopping center in Petach Tikvah. These stores
include Office Depot, Knei Uvnei, Hypertoy and Home
Center.
On a side note, a new disclosure which appeared in the
business section of the Israel daily, Ha'aretz, stated
that the center in the Yarkon Junction was built illegally.
The commercial area was in fact built without the proper
building permits.
Last week, the Committee for the Preservation of Agricultural
Lands and Open Areas of the Interior Ministry rejected the
request of the promoters to approve the use of the area for
business instead of agricultural purposes. The current use of
the area for stores is thus not sanctioned. This should mean
that the promoters have to close the center either
immediately or immediately following their appeal of this
ruling, if one is filed.
From the committee deliberations it is evident that although
the area is still considered an agricultural zone, the
Regional Committee for Building and Planning, headed by Aaron
Levi, approved the irregular use of the land.
The Yarkonim shopping center, which includes 12,000 square
meters (120,000 square feet), is fully rented to commercial
enterprises, and no agricultural use is currently made -- or
is even possible.
The Committee also accepted the zoning change in principle,
but opposed the granting of permits before the plans were
accepted. Moreover, the request of the developers to change
the zoning was made only after the building violation had
already been committed. An additional request by the owner of
the land to build a structure of 2000 meters on the area was
made at this meeting. Construction on this structure has yet
to begin.
Although the entire shopping center was built without a
license or legal building permits, the legal authorities made
no effort to close the stores on the site on Shabbos or on
weekdays. By doing so, they are actually in violation of the
law as well as of standard operating procedure.
This week, the Petach Tikvah Chief Rabbinate and the Shabbos
Menucha headquarters circulated a list of the names of stores
which desecrate Shabbos in the Yarkonim junction. Among these
are: HaMashbir Hamercazi, Home Center, Sport Depot, Hypertoy
of the Greenberg Food Company, Office Depot, Ace Knei Uvnei,
Naalei Dafna, Tsomet Sefarim, Aidy Dizen, the Yarkonim
Nursery, and Zu Eretz Chayot Machmad (pet store).
The chareidi and religious community all over the country was
asked to boycott these Shabbos-desecrating stores, and in
that way make it clear to their owners that they will not
profit from Shabbos desecration. Some of the Shabbos-
desecrating stores belong to retail marketers with branches
all over the country. Some even seek to establish other
stores in chareidi centers. There is no doubt that when the
storekeepers know that no Shabbos observers will patronize a
store which tramples the Shabbos, they will reconsider their
behavior.
Alongside the need to boycott the Shabbos-desecrating stores,
the rabbonim issued a list of Shabbos-observant stores and
urged the public to encourage store owners who keep Shabbos
in the Yarkonim junction. This list includes Hyper Rosenfeld
store, the Amit nursery, the Machsanei Chashmal, Machsanei
Slonim, Night Sleep Center, Superpharm and Beitili.
Shabbos activists in the city warn that the continuation of
Shabbos desecration in the Yarkonim area will result in a
terrible breach in the walls of Shabbos throughout the
country.
Shabbos activists expressed the fear that if public figures
do not do everything in their power to close those stores,
many other store owners would yield to competitive pressure
and also open their stores on Shabbos.
