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NEWS
Haifa Mayor To Consider Revoking Licenses of Business
Open on Shabbos
by Aryeh Zisman
Haifa Mayor Amram Mitzna plans to take stricter measures
against businesses open on Shabbos. On the Shabbos of 29
Adar, Shinui representatives demonstrated at the Castra Mall
at the southern entrance to Haifa, protesting closure of the
mall on Shabbos. The Committee for the Sake of Shabbos in
Haifa has since met twice to discuss needed additional
measures as a result of an increase in Shabbos desecration
in Haifa.
At the meeting of the Committee for the Sake of Shabbos
attended by rabbonim and representatives of the city
chareidi and religious blocs, ways to enforce the Municipal
Auxiliary Laws and a demand for an increase in fines for
violators were discussed. This meeting took place after
numerous business concerns began to open their enterprises
on Shabbos. Rav Moshe Rauchberger, a member of the Committee
for the Sake of Shabbos and the rav of the Ramat Hadar
neighborhood, reported on a meeting he had with the
proprietors of the shopping malls, along with the chief
rabbi of Haifa. The purpose of the meeting was to persuade
the owners not to encourage the opening of business
enterprises on Shabbos.
On Shabbos 29 Adar, unlike past Shabbosim, few stores opened
in the malls. Nonetheless, a number of stores still remained
open. The Haifa Municipality is continuing to send out
inspectors to fine violators of the law. Mayor Amram Mitzna
announced that such Shabbos desecration is a blatant
violation of the status quo in Haifa, and that he
does not intend to sanction it. "The Municipality will
continue to ensure that stores close on Shabbos, not only by
lip- service," Mitzna said. "We will continue to exert
incessant pressure to charge steeper fines. If this doesn't
help, we will consider revoking the licenses of the
recalcitrant businesses."
Last week, Shinui activists demonstrated against closing of
the Castra mall on Shabbos, despite the fact that the Haifa
Shinui party as well as additional parties in the Municipal
opposition have announced that they would not support a
struggle to open mall stores on Shabbos. They say that these
stores open only for economic reasons, and shouldn't be
assisted in these efforts because there is a need for a
weekly rest day. Rabbi Moshe Rauchberger noted that these
stores open only out of selfish reasons, while undermining
our sacred Jewish values.
Publicity agents for the mall distributed false notices
during recent weeks, stating that the Haifa religious
community plans to demonstrate against the opening of the
malls on Shabbos. Haifa Mayor Amram Mitzna notes that these
were false notices meant to attract media attention. "I
respect the religious sector for not having been drawn after
those false announcements and for enabling the Haifa
Municipality to handle law enforcement," he noted.
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