Bnei Brak – Most Israelis were forced to contend with hot and humid weather conditions over the past weekend, but some people suffered more than others.
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Hundreds of residents in the haredi enclave of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, remained with no electricity over the past weekend, after the Israel Electric company refrained from repairing a malfunction as not to offend Shabbat observers, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
A few minutes before Shabbat, a malfunction left dozens of buildings in town without electricity.
“We called the electric company, but the receptionist said they don’t enter Bnei Brak on Shabbat for fear that their technicians would be stoned,” local resident Bela Wolfman said.
Other residents who called to report the problem said Electric Company call center representatives told them of an agreement with Bnei Braq city that prevents company employees from entering the town on Saturdays.
“We spent the whole Shabbat in darkness and suffered the heat. It was terribly depressing,” one resident said. “All the food we had in the freezer melted. By noontime Saturday we had to get out of our home because the heat inside was unbearable. Families who had electricity gave us cold water bottles.”
The malfunction was repaired only late Saturday, around 9:30 pm.
“They simply pushed one switch up and the electricity was back. I saw it with my own eyes,” Wolfman said. “There are many elderly people and babies here. It’s simply a miracle that nobody collapsed during this terrible Saturday.”
The Electric Company said that most of its customers asked that the malfunction not be repaired as not to desecrate the Shabbat. Previous repair work undertaken in Bnei Brak on Shabbat prompted great anger among local residents, the company said.
It’s too bad that there are no Druze, Bedouin, Christians, or other non-Jewish, non-terrorist technicians working for the electric utility. It might be a good idea to recruit a few.
ah here comes the fun. now u willsee all of ldtters flying around es h witb thier own psak which of cojfsd dods not apply to them if it it affects them directly
Bezalel Says:
It’s too bad that there are no Druze, Bedouin, Christians, or other non-Jewish, non-terrorist technicians working for the electric utility. It might be a good idea to recruit a few.
this is what the cherediem want this is what they will get,
When you cry wolf on everything, it comes back to bite you.
To # 1. They could wear different clothing. Perhaps they could have an escort of Chareidim on foot. Perhaps their trucks could be marked “Shabbos goy”. Oh please.
1. Am I mistaken or is discomfort from heat not considered pikuach nefesh?
2. What are we all going to do when there is no more money to provide electricity?
Food for thought.
The good news is that the electric and water companies have already initiated steps to isolate the electric distribution circuits and and water pipes serving the meah sheaarim neighborhood so that they operate totally independently from the main systems serving the surrounding neighborhoods. This will allow the utilities to shut off and activate service on these systems without affecting other neighborhoods and likewise prevent an outage or malfunction in the meah sheaarim circuits from interrupting service to other neighborhoods. This costly restructuring of the electric and water systems is an unfortunate outcome of the repeated attacks on the utility workers by the chareidi chayos in this neighborhood and is sadly reminiscent of how the Nazis had to isolate yidden in the European ghettos before WWII. In the future, the security forces will be easily able to shut of power and water to meah shearim without affecting others in case they start rioting again.
I don’t understand–if there’s a risk of pikuach nefesh as the article suggests, then they should have gone in, and (hopefully) the heter could be explained to potential stoners. And if there’s no pikuach nefesh, then what’s to talk about?
כל הכבוד לתושבי בני-ברק
Most of beney berak do not use electricity from the electric company (made by mechalelay shabbos zionists) anyway. They follow the pesak of the chazon ish. Most neighborhoods have their own generators.
and I had to respond to a cardiac patient who was connected to his oxygen machine and was left without power (to his o2 / AC / Light / Medication etc) Welcome to Israel 🙁
#6 ,
I’m not a posek but people can and have died from excessive heat; air conditioning can be a lifesaver. If there is even one person who is at risk I can not understand why it would not be a mitzvah to fix the electric system — or to fire up a diesel generator — to get the person cooled off.
#6 1. Am I mistaken or is discomfort from heat not considered pikuach nefesh?
no otherwise they would not wear a strameil and the long black coat in 100 degree temperature
for #1 –
They are reaping what they have sowed. You don’t want (correctly, so) chillul Shabbos, and the Chevrat Hachashmal doesn’t sent in someone to fix it (they are respecting your wishes), so don’t complain, especially when we have the reputation of letting the bullies throw stones, etc.
for #6 –Heat isn’t pikuach nefesh (what did they do before there was electricity, or even worse, no air conditioning). at most, it’s an inconvenience. think of it as a nisayon from HB”H before Ellul.
You can’t have it both ways, insist on shmiras Shabbos unless it’s inconvenient for you.
there workers are made up of non jewish workers as well but they need to protect their employees from the crazies we have tolerated so no electric until after shabbos no women walking streets with burkas on no children listening to jewish music
As the saying goes; “You Reap what you Sow” The P’sak is for good and bad situations. I just cant believe that there are no “goyim” working for the Electric Co. If they had any it should not be a problem Bemokom Tzoirich Godol. High Heat plus Chisoron Kis(ruined food)would , I believe be a heter for a goy to fix the problem
#4 when you do the retzon haboreh as codified in S’U nothing will haunt you.’ shomer mitvah lo yoda daver rah’
While I am sure that there are non-Jews working for the Electric company it might be a problem of Amirah L’Akum.
As to the fact that it is a danger to the Elderly or people with home dialysis or other life critical electric medical equipment, that is only a Safek because we don’t know for sure they are there.
I am sure the Charedim in Benei Brak would not be soimech on such a silly heter as Sakonos Nifoshos or Kavod Habrios to allow the electricity to be repaired for silly things like air conditioning, dialysis machines and the like.
About 20 years ago when I was learning in Yerushalayim, a friend of mine and I were walking through Bayit Ve Gan on Shabbos afternoon to attend a shiur. There was not a single car on the road. We then saw one car drive through — bearing a sign which stated “Goy shel shabbat.”
There is no reason the rabbonim of Bnei Brak cannot come to a suitable arrangement with the electric company to use a suitable Shabbos goy to repair the electricity lines. There are good halakhic reasons to do so — not only safeik pikuach nefesh, but also, at least in summer, tzaar.
If there are “kannoim” who don’t like the arrangement, and threaten to stone people, they can be put in cherem.
It’s no big deal to be Shomer Shabbos when your air condition’s running right and your lights are set properly. When you’re uncomfortable in the heat and dark, that’s when the test of Shmiras Shabbos kicks in.
There is a difference for the electric company responding to private calls in Bnei Brak vs large scale outages. There needs to be some process in place where they can agree with Rabanim in advance when they can use goyim to respond.
This is such a good story. Maybe these people will learn not to throw stones and not to riot etc.
#23 its not by accident…. ‘ksheggo hayotzei…’ this poster ‘says’ has shown his hate for shomrei torah and you can rest assured he wouldnt’ve mind if the nazis would finnish the job on the ehrliche yidde..as prooven by the leftist israelis who yell the same…just follow this ‘says pos’ting all articles