This weekend, Tel Aviv will still be the city that never stops. The Tel Aviv Municipal Court today rejected a petition to close the Tiv Taam, AM-PM, Dor Alon, Super Yuda and other stores because the petition was filed only two days ago.
Judge Aviyam Barkai wrote, "Filing a petition on Tuesday and serving a closure order on a business on Thursday is unacceptable."
In a ruling several months ago, the District Court barred the Tel Aviv Municipality from confining itself to fining supermarkets that opened on Saturday, and required it to order them to close down. Following the ruling, the municipality sought to amend the municipal bylaws to allow the opening of supermarkets on Saturday.
At the end of June, Minister of the Interior Gideon Sa'ar aroused a tempest by preventing the Tel Aviv municipality from passing the amendment and striking down sections of the new bylaw. Sa'ar quoted a 1933 letter by poet Chaim Nahman Bialik about Saturday, "Without the Sabbath, the Land of Israel will not be built; it will be destroyed, and all your work will be in vain. The Jewish people will never give up the Sabbath; it is a fundamental part, not just of Jewish existence, but of human existence. Without the Sabbath, there is no image of God and no humanity."
At the same time, the interior minister used his authority to approve sections in the bylaw concerning the Saturday activity of commercial zones in Tel Aviv Port, Jaffa Port, and the Neve Tzedek former railway station entertainment complex, as well as convenience stores located next to filling stations. Despite Sa'ar's decision and the court ruling, the Tel Aviv municipality continues to allow most supermarkets to stay open on Saturday. Grocery store owners have filed a court petition charging contempt of court by the municipality.
At the beginning of the week, the Tel Aviv city council approved the opening of 165 supermarkets and kiosks on Saturday. Businesses will not be open in neighborhoods with a religious character, nor near synagogues. This means that businesses staying open on Saturday will be fined, but the municipal bylaw allows them to stay open and preserve the secular character of Tel Aviv.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 14, 2014
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2014