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1 Kiselv 5767 - November 22, 2006 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Electric Corporation Official Fired for Moving Transporter on Shabbos

By Eliezer Rauchberger

"This was not a case of pikuach nefesh. The transformer didn't have to be transported on Shabbat. In this case the contractor chose to transport the transformer on Shabbat for financial reasons," said Israel Electric Corporation CEO Uri Ben Nun during a meeting of the Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee two weeks ago to discuss the Electric Corporation's decision to relieve Logistics Department Director Tzvi Manor, who was responsible for the incident, of his duties.

The meeting was initiated by MK Ophir Pines (Labor), who was indignant over Manor's dismissal over the incident that involved desecration of Shabbos. He claimed that as a democratic and Jewish state Israel cannot be bound by halochoh. "If the dismissal was done in order to please someone at the ministerial level, this is very grave," he said.

MK Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz said that Israel is indeed a Jewish state and therefore transporting a transformer on Shabbos is prohibited. He said Manor should have taken the consequences of his actions into account when he made a decision on such a weighty matter and recalled how seven years ago the government fell after a chain events that was started when a turbine was transported on Shabbos and UTJ resigned from the coalition. "What was [Manor] thinking — that nobody would notice?" asked Rabbi Ravitz.

Ben Nun denied that Manor was fired solely over the Shabbos incident, saying that shortcomings in the management of the Logistics Department were known beforehand. "The worker had serious disciplinary violations listed in the past and even suspicions of carrying out criminal actions," he said. "The [case] is being handled by the Attorney General and the matter could even come under police investigation."

Regarding the transport of the transformer on Shabbos, the Electric Corporation CEO said that according to standing company regulations such an irregular operation requires the approval of the Deputy CEO, the knowledge of the CEO and obtaining special Shabbos permits for employees from the appropriate government authorities. In the recent case permits were not issued and Manor lied when he claimed that he told the CEO about the transport.

 

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