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NEWS
Downtown Jerusalem Food Market to Be Shut for Violating Shabbos Law
By Yechiel Sever
The Jerusalem Municipality's Legal Bureau and Licensing Department prepared an administrative closure order this week for a downtown food market that stayed open on Shabbos. Once the order is signed by Mayor Nir Barkat, it will be immediately issued to the store owner for violating the Work and Rest Hours Law.
Last week the food store, located on Rechov Shlomtzion Hamalka near Rechov Shlomo Hamelech, opened its doors with an open declaration it would remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The store did not even install a door.
On Friday, Councilman Rabbi Shlomo Rosenstein, who is in charge of municipal inspections, warned the store to close for Shabbos. Besides the severity of chilul Shabbos befarhesiyoh (blatant Shabbos desecration), doing business on Shabbos is prohibited by law. The owner promised not to remain open on Shabbos, saying that since the store had no door, the entrance would be blocked off with a tarp.
During the course of Shabbos non-Jewish city inspectors arrived three times, warning the owner that keeping the store open on Shabbos constituted a violation of the city ordinance and made him subject to penalties, but he failed to respond.
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