The Rabbinical Committee for the Sanctity of the Shabbos,
under the aegis of maranan verabonon, recently held
deliberations over the current the rise in Shabbos
desecration in Jerusalem in various areas of concern.
The committee expressed concern over the fact that a large
pharmacy, known as Drugstore 2000, continues to operate on
Shabbosim in the heart of Jerusalem, while the
Jerusalem Municipality persists in ignoring the breaches in
the sanctity of the Shabbos.
It also referred to information in its possession regarding
the ongoing construction of the large shopping mall in the
Mamilla project opposite the Jaffa Gate of the Old City of
Jerusalem, as well as to the massive Shabbos desecration the
opening of this mall may bring. Although the mall is not
supposed to be operated on Shabbos, there are reports that
the operator is planning to do so.
The Knesset Finance Committee of the 14th Knesset recently
approved the transfer of a million shekels from the Housing
and Construction Ministry budget to the Karta company, to
help it cover expenses connected with its lawsuit with the
Elrov company, developers of the Mamilla shopping mall. The
developer seeks to construct two movie theaters in areas that
are designated as pedestrian passages in the approved plans.
Rabbi Ravitz said that although this lawsuit is an apparently
routine arbitration over building rights, it has tremendous
social significance because of the prospect of transforming
this sensitive area into a hub of Shabbos desecration. Its
results will have a decisive effect on the Jewish character
of Jerusalem, according to Rabbi Ravitz. Karta and its
director, Rabbi Ephraim Holtzberg, expressed their gratitude
to Rabbi Ravitz for his efforts on their behalf.
Representatives of the Ramot neighborhood also appeared at
the committee meeting and expressed their sorrow over the
Shabbos desecration perpetrated by a pub in their
neighborhood. This pub is under the aegis of the municipality
and the local community center.
The residents pointed out that when the pub was opened in the
municipal community center, Mayor Ehud Olmert participated in
its inaugural ceremony and even granted its proprietors
$10,000. The pub, which is owned by a private entrepreneur,
closed down because of a lack of business. The local
community recently center decided to reopen the pub, which is
being subsidized by the Municipality.
Representatives say that most of the residents of the Ramot
Gimmel neighborhood, in which the community center is
located, are chareidim, and that it is wrong to open a pub on
Shabbos before their very eyes. They complained about the
deafening noise emerging from the pub on Friday nights which
continues until the early hours of the morning. They say that
the Municipality is creating a new focal point of tension and
strife. The committee regards this information very seriously
and maintains that the pub has a deleterious effect on the
quality of life in the neighborhood.
