The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/shabbat-observance/ News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World Thu, 11 Jun 2026 19:27:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2018/11/toi_icon_512-200x200.png Shabbat observance | The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/shabbat-observance/ 32 32 Hundreds show up to support Rehovot businesses fined for opening on Shabbat https://www.timesofisrael.com/hundreds-show-up-to-support-rehovot-businesses-fined-for-opening-on-shabbat/ Sun, 17 May 2026 09:02:29 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3824995 Ice cream parlor Otello and cafe Nook are cited after operating on Saturdays for over a year, leading residents to complain about uneven enforcement of Shabbat policy

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]]> How Oct. 7 changed the way Israel’s ‘somewhat observant’ practice Judaism https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-oct-7-changed-the-way-israels-somewhat-observant-practice-judaism/ Sat, 10 Jan 2026 02:31:29 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3730695 From tefillin pop-ups to Shabbat candle lightings, many Israelis -- including pop stars and former hostages -- have increasingly turned to religion amid the war: 'Faith provided an anchor'

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]]> NYC Sabbath boundary goes high-tech, aiding the rabbi who’s checked it weekly since 1999 https://www.timesofisrael.com/nyc-sabbath-boundary-goes-high-tech-aiding-the-rabbi-whos-checked-it-weekly-since-1999/ Sat, 25 Oct 2025 13:43:32 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3671163 A wire enclosure around Manhattan circumvents a biblical prohibition against carrying on the day of rest. New magnetic sensors help Moshe Tauber verify it hasn't been compromised

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]]> Ban on Shabbat repair work at key bridge causes major Tel Aviv traffic snarls https://www.timesofisrael.com/ban-on-shabbat-repair-work-on-key-bridge-causes-major-tel-aviv-traffic-snarls/ Sun, 28 Sep 2025 10:41:56 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3651643 Lapid says government 'doesn't care for the citizens,' just politics, as Ayalon Highway renovation takes place on weekdays due to ultra-Orthodox parties' opposition to Sabbath work

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]]> Open seven days a week, flashy new mall near Tel Aviv rekindles Shabbat battle https://www.timesofisrael.com/open-seven-days-a-week-flashy-new-mall-near-tel-aviv-rekindles-shabbat-battle/ Sat, 17 May 2025 09:28:56 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3542713 Backed by the local mayor, BIG Fashion Glilot defies law limiting commercial activity on Jewish day of rest, drawing attempted government crackdown and Haredi boycott

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]]> Top-ranked Israeli robotics team gives up championship bid over Shabbat observance https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-ranked-israeli-robotics-team-gives-up-championship-bid-over-shabbat-observance/ Wed, 23 Apr 2025 13:05:05 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3532963 Trigon team from Modiin's AMIT high school pulls out despite being ranked 15th out of 600, one of eight Israeli teams to make it to a final stage of the elite competition in Texas

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]]> Tel Aviv suburb says it’ll defy order to shut new mall on Shabbat amid Haredi threats https://www.timesofisrael.com/tel-aviv-suburb-says-itll-defy-order-to-shut-new-mall-on-shabbat-amid-haredi-threats/ Wed, 02 Apr 2025 15:54:15 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?post_type=liveblog_entry&p=3516695 Ultra-Orthodox vow boycott of all chains operating in new BIG fashion mall in Ramat Hasharon if it opens on Jewish rest day; Lapid: 'Stop interfering in lives of secular people'

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]]> Planning panel okays Tel Aviv metro via Bnei Brak, which denies approving Shabbat work https://www.timesofisrael.com/planning-panel-okays-tel-aviv-metro-via-bnei-brak-which-denies-approving-shabbat-work/ Mon, 18 Sep 2023 15:38:21 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3099262 Committee said to reach deal with Haredi-dominated municipality to allow excavations in city on Jewish day of rest -- but city council says this won't happen outside extreme cases

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]]> Protesters block Tel Aviv light rail for third week, hold ‘civics class’ on tracks https://www.timesofisrael.com/protesters-block-tel-aviv-light-rail-for-third-week-hold-civics-class-on-tracks/ Fri, 01 Sep 2023 14:10:33 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3085778&preview=true&preview_id=3085778 Trams stopped in Jaffa area as demonstrators once again disrupt the new line because it doesn't run on Shabbat

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]]> Can you roll on Shabbos? San Francisco rabbis on the robotaxis flooding city streets https://www.timesofisrael.com/can-you-roll-on-shabbos-san-francisco-rabbis-on-the-robotaxis-flooding-city-streets/ Mon, 28 Aug 2023 03:31:31 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3080252 New technology is taking us into uncharted territory in Jewish law - but opinions are mixed on whether added mobility will bring communities closer or drive them apart

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]]> Tel Aviv light rail extends Saturday evening hours amid protests over Shabbat closure https://www.timesofisrael.com/tel-aviv-light-rail-extends-saturday-evening-hours-amid-protests-over-shabbat-closure/ Sat, 26 Aug 2023 19:01:08 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3081068&preview=true&preview_id=3081068 Tram to begin service an hour earlier, extend past midnight; Friday saw activists once again chain themselves to car to demand it run on Shabbat

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]]> Activists again cuff themselves to Tel Aviv light rail to protest Shabbat stoppage https://www.timesofisrael.com/activists-again-cuff-themselves-to-tel-aviv-light-rail-to-protest-shabbat-stoppage/ Fri, 25 Aug 2023 15:22:20 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3080507&preview=true&preview_id=3080507 Several dozen people protest at Allenby Station on day's last tram, causing service to stop and driver to leave; police on the scene

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]]> Ramat Gan to launch Shabbat shuttle service along Tel Aviv light route https://www.timesofisrael.com/ramat-gan-to-launch-shabbat-shuttle-service-along-tel-aviv-light-route/ Sun, 20 Aug 2023 23:52:29 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3076745&preview=true&preview_id=3076745 Mayor's announcement will likely please residents of his largely secular suburb; comes two months ahead of municipal elections, when he'll aim to win a second term

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]]> Jewish groups fete Supreme Court ruling bolstering religious accommodation rule https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-groups-fete-supreme-court-ruling-bolstering-religious-accommodation-rule/ Thu, 29 Jun 2023 23:08:31 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3043227 Decision raises standard for employers refusing to give workers a Sabbath day off to a 'substantial' hardship, putting 'real teeth into the law,' says AJC legal officer

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]]> Play center in Harish becomes unlikely battleground for Haredi and secular residents https://www.timesofisrael.com/play-center-in-harish-becomes-unlikely-battleground-for-haredi-and-secular-residents/ Sun, 28 May 2023 23:49:32 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3023250 Fast-growing and diverse, the city that started out as an army outpost is seen as a test case for coexistence, after an altercation over Shabbat observance makes national news

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