Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight
  

A Window into the Chareidi World

24 Iyar 5768 - May 29, 2008 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
NEWS

OPINION
& COMMENT

OBSERVATIONS

HOME
& FAMILY

IN-DEPTH
FEATURES

VAAD HORABBONIM HAOLAMI LEINYONEI GIYUR

TOPICS IN THE NEWS

POPULAR EDITORIALS

HOMEPAGE

 

Produced and housed by
Shema Yisrael Torah Network
Shema Yisrael Torah Network

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEWS
Tel Aviv Municipality Tries to Force Leviev to Open Parking Lot on Shabbos

by Yated Ne'eman Staff

The Tel Aviv Municipality is trying to compel businessman Lev Leviev to open the parking lot of the Africa Israel building on Rechov Achad Ha'am on Shabbos and decided to require him to allocate 50 percent of parking spaces for public use during evening hours and on Shabbos. Africa Israel says it opposes opening the lot on Shabbos.

According to a letter recently sent to city hall by accountant Uriel Azran, head of the company's Income-Yielding Properties Division, "Lev Leviev is a chareidi Jew and opening the parking lot on Shabbat would contradict his worldview and Africa Israel's policy of not operating its income-yielding properties on Shabbat or Jewish holidays."

However, a recent press report, that was not yet confirmed by Africa Israel as we go to press, indicated that the company felt it had no legal choice and agreed to provide the spaces.

To prove to the city just how serious Leviev is about his position, Azran cited the Ramat Aviv mall, which is also owned by the company: "The best example is Africa Israel's refusal to open the Ramat Aviv mall on Shabbat, despite the high loss of revenues this entails."

The city's decision to order Africa Israel to open the public parking lot stems from the company's noncompliance with the terms of the permit it received to build 10 stories of office space above the building's original 17 stories. A document Africa Israel submitted to the city states that the company is 77 parking spaces short.

The parties examined the possibility of meeting the shortfall by building additional parking spaces in a nearby municipal parking lot, but this proposal was rejected. Another proposal, which was raised and approved by the City Planning and Construction Subcommittee, called for Africa Israel to pay the city a parking indemnity and open half of its parking lot for public use at low rates in the evening and on Shabbos.

 

All material on this site is copyrighted and its use is restricted.
Click here for conditions of use.