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NEWS
Staunch Campaign to Prevent Food Stores from Opening on
Shabbos
by Yated Ne'eman Staff
"The terrible breach effected by opening stores on Shabbos
Kodesh, thereby desecrating and trampling over Shabbos,
cannot and should not be overlooked. We have decided to wage
a determined battle using all the means at our disposal,"
declared Vaadas HaRabbonim Lemaan Kedushas HaShabbos this
week.
The notice was a pointed reference to the AM/PM chain of
convenience stores owned by businessman Dudi Weissman, who
has already opened a number of stores on Shabbos and has
plans to reach a total of 50 stores in the Gush Dan area. His
declarations — and even worse, his actions —
cause a horrendous breach in the walls of Shabbos that cannot
be ignored, said the rabbonim.
"An even greater peril is that this could drag other
competitors into the circle of those who desecrate Shabbos
against their wishes, and this is a great sin that cannot in
any way be tolerated," said Vaadas HaRabbonim. Recently a
group of grocery story owners filed a petition demanding that
the City of Tel Aviv and the Ministry of Industry and Trade
enforce the Work and Rest Hours Law, instead of allowing
chains to operate seven days a week.
The storeowners claimed that their livelihood is being
destroyed due to a lack of equal opportunity. "We don't want
them to allow us to open on Shabbat, too, because we don't
want to work on Shabbat," note the storeowners. Even the
owner of City Market, which operates two large stores one of
which is open on Shabbos Rachmono litzlan, says he
decided to open on Shabbos only because of the competition
with the large supermarkets nearby.
This breach is exceedingly grave, says Vaadas HaRabbonim,
which hopes someone capable of appealing to Mr. Weissman's
better sensibilities and changing his ways will step forward
and succeed in putting a stop to the damage. If he persists
his plan will not be met with silence. Shabbos-observant
Jews, Jews who throughout the generations made great
sacrifices for the sake of kedushas Shabbos, will not
remain indifferent and complacent in the face of such a blow
to the sanctity of Shabbos.
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