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Shabbat observance

People lining up in Otello in Rehovot on Shabbat in protest of the fine the business received for operating on Shabbat, on May 16, 2026. (Ynet/Screenshot)
May 17, 2026, 12:02 pm
Hundreds show up to support Rehovot businesses fined for opening on Shabbat
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
By ToI Staff
The Israeli TV host Ofira Asayag (L) is secular but lit Shabbat candles on air in 2024, during the Israel Hamas war — reflecting a trend among Israelis. (Screenshot via JTA)
January 10, 2026, 4:31 am
How Oct. 7 changed the way Israel’s ‘somewhat observant’ practice Judaism
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’
By Deborah Danan
Rabbi Moshe Tauber and wife Chaya Tauber drive up the West Side Highway while checking the Manhattan eruv, a boundary that permits observant Jews to carry items on Shabbat and Jewish festivals. (Jackie Hajdenberg/ JTA)
October 25, 2025, 4:43 pm
NYC Sabbath boundary goes high-tech, aiding the rabbi who’s checked it weekly since 1999
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
By Jackie Hajdenberg
Cars stand in traffic as construction is underway at HaShalom Bridge in Tel Aviv. September 28, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/FLASH90)
September 28, 2025, 1:41 pm
Ban on Shabbat repair work at key bridge causes major Tel Aviv traffic snarls
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
By ToI Staff
People shop at the BIG Fashion Glilot mall, March 4, 2025 (Tal Gal/Flash90)
May 17, 2025, 12:28 pm
Open seven days a week, flashy new mall near Tel Aviv rekindles Shabbat battle
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
By Zev Stub
Illustrative: Israel's Orbit team celebrates winning the FIRST robotics competition in 2024. (Courtesy: FIRST)
April 23, 2025, 4:05 pm
Top-ranked Israeli robotics team gives up championship bid over Shabbat observance
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
By ToI Staff
People shop at the BIG Fashion Mall in Glilot, central Israel, March 4, 2025 (Tal Gal/Flash90)
April 2, 2025, 6:54 pm
Tel Aviv suburb says it’ll defy order to shut new mall on Shabbat amid Haredi threats
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’
By Sam Sokol and ToI Staff
Illustrative: The main street of Bnei Brak, August 17, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
September 18, 2023, 6:38 pm
Planning panel okays Tel Aviv metro via Bnei Brak, which denies approving Shabbat work
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
By ToI Staff
Demonstrators block the tracks of the Tel Aviv light rail in protest of it not running during Shabbat, Friday, September 1, 2023 (video screenshot)
September 1, 2023, 5:10 pm
Protesters block Tel Aviv light rail for third week, hold ‘civics class’ on tracks
Trams stopped in Jaffa area as demonstrators once again disrupt the new line because it doesn’t run on Shabbat
By ToI Staff
Passengers try to figure out why a Waymo driverless taxi won't move while traffic backs up behind it in San Francisco, February 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
August 28, 2023, 6:31 am
Can you roll on Shabbos? San Francisco rabbis on the robotaxis flooding city streets
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
By Maya Mirsky
Passengers ride the Tel Aviv light rail on its first day of service, August 18, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
August 26, 2023, 10:01 pm
Tel Aviv light rail extends Saturday evening hours amid protests over Shabbat closure
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
By ToI Staff
Activists handcuff themselves to handrails on Friday's last light rail ahead of Shabbat, in Tel Aviv, August 25, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
August 25, 2023, 6:22 pm
Activists again cuff themselves to Tel Aviv light rail to protest Shabbat stoppage
Several dozen people protest at Allenby Station on day’s last tram, causing service to stop and driver to leave; police on the scene
By ToI Staff
An undated photo of a bus running in Tel Aviv on the Sabbath. (Tel Aviv Municipality)
August 21, 2023, 2:52 am
Ramat Gan to launch Shabbat shuttle service along Tel Aviv light route
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
By ToI Staff
The US Supreme Court is seen on Thursday, June 29, 2023, in Washington. (AP/Mariam Zuhaib)
June 30, 2023, 2:08 am
Jewish groups fete Supreme Court ruling bolstering religious accommodation rule
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
By Ron Kampeas
Tirtza Carmi, a resident of Harish, and a friend wear t-shirts reading, 'Freedom fighter' to a demonstration against religious coercion in Harish, Israel, on May 27, 2023. (Canaan Lidor/Times of Israel)
May 29, 2023, 2:49 am
Play center in Harish becomes unlikely battleground for Haredi and secular residents
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
By Canaan Lidor
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