"This was not a case of pikuach nefesh. The
transformer didn't have to be transported on Shabbat. In this
case the contractor chose to transport the transformer on
Shabbat for financial reasons," said Israel Electric
Corporation CEO Uri Ben Nun during a meeting of the Knesset
Labor and Welfare Committee two weeks ago to discuss the
Electric Corporation's decision to relieve Logistics
Department Director Tzvi Manor, who was responsible for the
incident, of his duties.
The meeting was initiated by MK Ophir Pines (Labor), who was
indignant over Manor's dismissal over the incident that
involved desecration of Shabbos. He claimed that as a
democratic and Jewish state Israel cannot be bound by
halochoh. "If the dismissal was done in order to please
someone at the ministerial level, this is very grave," he
said.
MK Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz said that Israel is indeed a Jewish
state and therefore transporting a transformer on Shabbos is
prohibited. He said Manor should have taken the consequences
of his actions into account when he made a decision on such a
weighty matter and recalled how seven years ago the
government fell after a chain events that was started when a
turbine was transported on Shabbos and UTJ resigned from the
coalition. "What was [Manor] thinking — that nobody
would notice?" asked Rabbi Ravitz.
Ben Nun denied that Manor was fired solely over the Shabbos
incident, saying that shortcomings in the management of the
Logistics Department were known beforehand. "The worker had
serious disciplinary violations listed in the past and even
suspicions of carrying out criminal actions," he said. "The
[case] is being handled by the Attorney General and the
matter could even come under police investigation."
Regarding the transport of the transformer on Shabbos, the
Electric Corporation CEO said that according to standing
company regulations such an irregular operation requires the
approval of the Deputy CEO, the knowledge of the CEO and
obtaining special Shabbos permits for employees from the
appropriate government authorities. In the recent case
permits were not issued and Manor lied when he claimed that
he told the CEO about the transport.
