From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Interior Ministry strikes down bid to circumvent Shabbat mini-market law
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleThe Interior Ministry has annulled the municipal bylaws passed by a number of Israeli cities in a bid to circumvent a law banning mini-markets from operating on Shabbat.
The ministry told the municipalities of Modi’in, Rishon Letzion, Holon, Givatayim and Herzliya that they failed to give convincing reasons why opening mini-markets on the Jewish day of rest was necessary, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
The Knesset passed a law granting the interior minister the power to override city bylaws allowing mini-markets to open on the Jewish day of rest. Critics of the legislation decried it as religious coercion, but its proponents said it was necessary in order to maintain the longstanding status quo in Israel regarding businesses operating on Shabbat.
The Times of Israel Community.