JERUSALEM (JTA) — Tel Aviv will start providing public transportation on Shabbat.
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Beginning this weekend, public transportation will run in the city on Friday night and all day Saturday.
The initiative, called “We move on weekends,” will have six routes as well as transportation to surrounding communities, including Ramat Hasharon, Givatayim, and Kiryat Ono. The routes will try to circumvent religious neighborhoods.
Ramat Hasharon, a city just north of Tel Aviv, started a pilot Shabbat transportation program several months ago. More cities are planning to follow suit, according to reports.
The city of Tel Aviv will pick up $2.6 million of the $3.6 million operating costs for the first year, i24 reported.
In Israel, buses and trains do not generally run in Jewish-majority cities on Friday night and Saturday before sundown. The practice was born of an agreement reached between the haredi Orthodox community and David Ben-Gurion before the formation of the state.
“The ability to move from place to place throughout the week is a fundamental right,” Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai told reporters. He challenged the Israeli government to approve such service for all citizens.
Religion can’t be forced on Israeli citizens
Look at the newspapers the day before the first inifada. The headlines were about allowing places of entertainment to be open on Shabbos.
HaShem reminds us quite well that Shabbos is His gift to us, not to be degraded.
It would be nice if only nochrim were scheduled to drive on Shabbat.
So now u cant be a ashomer shabbos driver working for the company in israel, pure evil
Is it any wonder that Iran is building nukes. Is it any wonder that American political leaders are becoming anti Israel specially a few years down the line as radical leftist increase. Time for smart Jews to leave Israel as it seems heading for a destruction.
Its non of our business to stop them. We need to be מוחה but that’s where it ends.
All the people who pontificate as to what Israel should do and how it should conduct itself, should go on Aliyah and vote for candidates and policies of which you approve.
All the people who pontificate as to what Israel should do and how it should conduct itself, should go on Aliyah and vote for candidates and policies of which you approve.
I feel that this is Midah K’Neged Midah for those who block streets while protesting. You won’t let buses through, getting seculars (and religious people as well) to hate you; there will be buses when you like them least.
Slightly above my pay grade to categorize it as Midah K’Neged Midah b’yedieh Odom or Shomayim, but in the end , as we well know, every Chait Bein Odom L’Odom is also Bein Odom L’Makom, so you get two for the price of one.