Tel Aviv’s city council plans to meet in two weeks to discuss passing a new version of a bylaw that would allow some kiosks and smaller supermarkets to open on Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath. A previous version allowing about 300 supermarkets and kiosks across the entire city to remain open on Shabbat was vetoed by Israel’s Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar last month – coincidentally or not at a time Sa’ar’s Likud Party turned out to have been quietly floating the idea of forming a new governing coalition with haredi political parties.
Tel Aviv To Make Another Try To Open Supermarkets On Shabbat
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Tel Aviv’s city council plans to meet in two weeks to discuss passing a new version of a bylaw that would allow some kiosks and smaller supermarkets to legally open on Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath, Ha'aretz reported.
A previous version allowing about 300 supermarkets and kiosks across the entire city to remain open on Shabbat was vetoed by Israel’s Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar last month – coincidentally or not at a time Sa’ar’s Likud Party turned out to have been quietly floating the idea of forming a new governing coalition with haredi political parties.
The city reportedly hopes that the new version of the bylaw will meet Sa’ar’s approval. But because the new bylaw would still allow a large (but much lesser) number of these stores to remain open on Shabbat across the entire city, Sa’ar may choose to veto it, as well, because Sa’ar previously said that he would permit these businesses to open only in a few locations and not city-wide.
The new proposed bylaw would reportedly divide the city into eight zones. Each zone would have a set quota detailing the maximum number of businesses that could legally open on Shabbat.
Tel Aviv, a very secular city, has always had some businesses open on Shabbat, whatever the actual law has been.
But the supermarkets that open on Shabbat are still doing so illegally, and Tel Aviv city inspectors are mandated to fine them.
However, no fines were given to the store owners last Shabbat because of rocket fire from Gaza.
(The leading Ashkenazi haredi newspaper crowed earlier this week that the rocket fire had forced secular Tel Aviv residents to stop violating Shabbat and had caused non-Shabbat-compliant businesses in the city to suffer financial losses. The paper, Yated Ne’eman, considered this to be a positive benefit of the rocket fire.)
Under the new proposed bylaw, businesses seeking to legally remain open on Shabbat would apply to the city for a two-year non-transferable permit to do so.
If a particular zone has more such applications than the number of permits allowed, the city will hold a lottery for the applicants to determine which businesses get permits and which do not. That lottery will reportedly give preference to supermarkets and kiosks located on main streets and in malls and shopping centers in areas where restaurants and cafes, which can already legally remain open on Shabbat, are already regularly open on the weekly holy day.
Even with that, businesses located close to synagogues will not be granted permits under the new proposed bylaw.
The new proposed bylaw would also reportedly reduce the number of businesses open on Shabbat from 260 to 165, and will set their maximum size at 500 square meters. The previous version of the bylaw set that maximum size at 800 square meters.
The city believes the new version of the bylaw will preserve the special character of Shabbat while accommodating as many secular Tel Avivians and tourists as possible.
Tel Aviv, a very secular city, has always had small businesses open on Shabbat.