Bill would see ‘Jewish tradition’ factor into Shabbat labor permits

Lawmakers on Wednesday gave a preliminary nod to a bill by ultra-Orthodox MKs stipulating that Israel’s minister in charge of labor matters will “consider Jewish tradition, wherever possible,” when issuing work permits for Shabbat, or Saturday, the Jewish day of rest.

The proposal by United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni was approved with 43 Knesset members in favor and 32 against. It was fast-tracked for an initial plenary vote on Tuesday, when the powerful Ministerial Committee for Legislation held a special conference call to give it coalition backing.

However, the proposal will not advance further until the government issues its own version of the bill.

The bill comes on the heels of a crisis between the government and its ultra-Orthodox coalition partners that saw UTJ’s Yaakov Litzman resign as health minister on Sunday over train maintenance performed on Shabbat.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Sunday reached a deal with the ultra-Orthodox parties under which the government will propose a law maintaining the status quo with regard to Shabbat observance in Israel.

Hadashot news (formerly Channel 2) reported the legislation will allow the minimarkets in Tel Aviv to remain open on Shabbat and will ensure no disruption to weekday train service (meaning maintenance work can be carried out on Shabbat).

However, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri from the Shas party sought to portray the agreement as a victory for the ultra-Orthodox parties.

“We succeeded in reaching an agreement regarding the minimarkets and other subjects,” Deri said earlier this week. “This is a Jewish state and most citizens want to feel Shabbat in the streets and in their cities.”

Presenting his bill, Gafni insisted on Wednesday that it was not coercive.

“Today, the minister cannot consider the issue of Jewish tradition,” said Gafni upon presenting the bill. “The bill does not force the minister [to consider Jewish law],  but rather says he has the option of also weighing this issue.

“I am not proposing a law that coerces anyone to do anything. We aren’t seeking to coerce and we know [what kind of country it is] where we live,” said Gafni.

Welfare Minister Haim Katz, who also serves as the state’s top labor regulator, said on Wednesday that he supported the proposal, though he insisted he already takes Jewish tradition into account.

“In my considerations, I take Shabbat as a Jewish tradition into account, as well as labor laws,” said Katz. “But, there are people there who aren’t even Israeli or Jewish, of foreign countries, who have won tenders.”

The bill was slammed by Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, a senior opposition figure, who charged: “You won’t impose Judaism on us, because it isn’t yours.”

“All you are doing is creating laws that foster hatred in Israel,” he said. “Jewish tradition has managed exceptionally well for thousands of years without laws of religious coercion.”

Separately, Deri has been advancing legislation — which has not yet made any headway — to give him the authority to shutter minimarkets in the country on Shabbat, bypassing a High Court of Justice decision. Tourism Minister Yariv Levin of the ruling Likud party is reportedly planning to propose a watered-down compromise version of the minimarket bill. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, whose coalition party has an effective veto on matters of religion and state, has made clear he will not tolerate any changes to the religious status quo.

Last month the High Court of Justice rejected a petition that would prevent Tel Aviv minimarkets from operating on Shabbat, infuriating ultra-Orthodox lawmakers who vowed to bypass the court with fresh Knesset legislation.