Members of the Kiryat Ata City Council called for a council
meeting to address the rise of Shabbos desecration in the
city. Council members, including those not representing
religious parties, said they oppose Shabbos desecration by
store owners and therefore request that the municipality step
up efforts to enforce the Shabbos Work and Rest Hours Law,
imposing fines on violators.
The city's chareidi population praised the initiative, noting
they have been waging an ongoing battle against the
increasing Shabbos desecration in the city. "Everyone who
joins the initiative to reduce Shabbos desecration is
welcome," they noted.
Every Shabbos, a group of avreichim sets out to
protest against businesses that close after Shabbos begins
and open before it ends. A few weeks ago one of the city's
leading chareidi activists was even beaten by merchants who
opened their business on Shabbos after he voiced his
opposition.
Council members say the municipality must dispatch special
inspectors to enforce the law, voting unanimously in favor of
a motion to place more emphasis on enforcement. Council Head
Yaakov Peretz said that regardless of the vote, Shabbos
should be preserved in the city because "more than bnei
Yisroel kept Shabbos, Shabbos kept Am Yisroel throughout
the generations."
High-ranking city officials said the city would continue to
dispatch non-Jewish inspectors to enforce the law, making a
special effort to reverse the new trend among certain store
owners.
