The Tel Aviv Municipality is trying to compel businessman Lev
Leviev to open the parking lot of the Africa Israel building
on Rechov Achad Ha'am on Shabbos and decided to require him
to allocate 50 percent of parking spaces for public use
during evening hours and on Shabbos. Africa Israel says it
opposes opening the lot on Shabbos.
According to a letter recently sent to city hall by
accountant Uriel Azran, head of the company's Income-Yielding
Properties Division, "Lev Leviev is a chareidi Jew and
opening the parking lot on Shabbat would contradict his
worldview and Africa Israel's policy of not operating its
income-yielding properties on Shabbat or Jewish holidays."
However, a recent press report, that was not yet confirmed by
Africa Israel as we go to press, indicated that the company
felt it had no legal choice and agreed to provide the
spaces.
To prove to the city just how serious Leviev is about his
position, Azran cited the Ramat Aviv mall, which is also
owned by the company: "The best example is Africa Israel's
refusal to open the Ramat Aviv mall on Shabbat, despite the
high loss of revenues this entails."
The city's decision to order Africa Israel to open the public
parking lot stems from the company's noncompliance with the
terms of the permit it received to build 10 stories of office
space above the building's original 17 stories. A document
Africa Israel submitted to the city states that the company
is 77 parking spaces short.
The parties examined the possibility of meeting the shortfall
by building additional parking spaces in a nearby municipal
parking lot, but this proposal was rejected. Another
proposal, which was raised and approved by the City Planning
and Construction Subcommittee, called for Africa Israel to
pay the city a parking indemnity and open half of its parking
lot for public use at low rates in the evening and on
Shabbos.
