Dozens of non-religious residents of the capital planned to arrive at the Jerusalem City Council on Thursday, 18 Shevat to protest the decision by Mayor Nir Barkat to shut grocery stores in the capital on Shabbos. Ofir Berkowitz, a deputy to the mayor, is leading the protest. He told the media that the decision to close the stores is a violation of the agreement made between the two.
Berkowitz explains he is not threatening to break from the coalition, admitting he has accomplished a great deal working alongside the mayor in recent years however he feels this latest decision is unacceptable. He adds that he and his colleagues are weighing their options.
The mayor’s decision pertains to a number of grocery stores in the center of the city that decided to begin opening on Shabbos during recent months. What is for certain is that even if the stores close, the mayor hasn’t had the final word for his secular coalition partners are unwilling to accept the verdict.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Don’t you think maybe in this zachis by observing Shabbat terror might stop.. and many lives will be saved… And maybe your own life was saved by deciding to observe Shabbat
Deputy mayor says closing stores on Shabbos is a violation of the agreement between the two (him and the mayor) but openning the stores on Shabbos is a violation of the agreement between Hashem and all of Klal Yisroel.
I ask you, which agreement should be more important?
I’m not jealous of this man’s position. It’s a tough job keeping the Holy City holy when some of it’s residents want to destroy that element. If only they knew just what they were throwing away!