Shas will not allow public buses to run on Shabbat

Shas will not allow buses to work on Shabbat, MK Nissim Zeev told Army Radio Tuesday morning, in response to the vote passed by Tel Aviv’s city council on Monday.

The Tel Aviv Municipality decided in principle to allow public transportation to operate on Saturdays. The decision, which requires ministerial approval, is to be forwarded to the Transportation Ministry in the next couple of weeks, where it is unlikely to be adopted.

Religious party Shas is a major player in the coalition, and when asked about the party’s stance Zeev was very clear. “Shas will not let it pass,” he said.

On the other side of the political map, MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz) tweeted his joy after the vote, saying the council members deserve a hug for their efforts.

In a meeting late Monday afternoon, council members voted 13-7 in favor of changing the status quo, with the religious representatives in the minority.

The municipality is to present the ministry with different options for implementing the change, including special routes that will operate only on Saturdays. However, the political fallout from such a change means it is unlikely to obtain ministerial approval. Ultra-Orthodox parties are crucial to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition majority.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said there is no country in the world without decent public transport 25 percent of the year — a calculation involving Sabbath and Jewish holidays — adding that every resident of the city should have the ability to travel and enjoy his day off.

Deputy Mayor Naftali Lobert, a rabbi from the National Religious Party, said the buses don’t run because in a Jewish country everyone needs to live together, and asked to keep the things the way they are. Huldai countered that some religious factions have disturbed the status quo, referring to recent efforts by some in the ultra-Orthodox community to force segregation on buses.

Council member Tamar Zandberg said the decision ought to be immediately adopted, since public transport throughout the week is the worldwide norm. She noted that public transportation in the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Haifa on the Sabbath has existed for years.

MK Moshe Gafni (Degel Hatorah), who heads the Knesset Finance Committee, derided the decision as a populist move to garner votes.

Reconciling the demands of a modern democracy with fealty for halachic tradition has been a perpetual challenge in modern Israel, and a mixture of legislation and long-term practices, collectively known as the “status quo,” has shaped the balance.

Under that status quo, public transportation operates on Saturday in non-Jewish areas only.