Last Shabbos, residents of Rova Gimmel in Ashdod prevented
massive Shabbos desecration when employees of the Municipal
Water Department sought to fix a main water pipe which had
burst.
On Shabbos night, the main water pipe passing through the
center of Ashdod's Rova Gimmel neighborhood burst. The entire
area filled with vast amounts of water. Water Department
workers arrived on the scene in the morning to fix the pipe,
after shutting off the supply.
The workers arrived in a tractor in order to open the street
and fix the pipe. Torah-observant residents assembled at the
site and protested the Shabbos desecration. One of the
activists spoke with the director of Ashdod's Water
Department, Yitzhak Emanuel and firmly told him that the
residents would prevent Shabbos desecration in their
neighborhood with their own bodies, if necessary.
Emanuel claimed that by not fixing the pipe, thousands of
families would be left without water during Shabbos. However,
the activist explained that the problem was not one of
pikuach nefesh and that there were no hospitals in the
area. Residents could manage until after Shabbos, he said. In
the end, Emanuel agreed to postpone the work and to suffice
with the placement of fences around the area in order to warn
passersby of the open pits.
While deliberations with the head of the Water Department
were taking place, the police arrived on the scene. However,
upon learning that the sides had reached an understanding,
they did not interfere. Police, however, claimed that the
area should be guarded until after Shabbos. The residents
agreed to guard the area themselves, and did so until
motzei Shabbos to the full satisfaction of the
police.
Local activists relate that this affair proves that when
residents are determined to preserve the sanctity of Shabbos,
they can succeed. This case, they said, obligates residents
throughout the country to be on the alert regarding Shabbos
desecration and to protect its sanctity with firm resolve.
