Kfar Saba, Israel – Over 200 people on Saturday rode buses commissioned by the Meretz party as part of a campaign calling for public transportation on Shabbat.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The buses ran between Kfar Saba, Ra’anana and Herzliya, and were free for anyone who wanted a ride, according to a Meretz statement.
“The Transportation Ministry must release money from the religious stranglehold and allow for organized public transportation on weekends,” said MK Nitzan Horowitz, who rode one of the buses. “This is a vital service with large social and environmental implications: It will allow those who do not own cars or do not have drivers licenses to move around, and it will also reduce the number of traffic accidents.”
“The public enthusiasm for Meretz’s buses proves how necessary this service is,” he added.
Tel Aviv City Council Member Tamar Zandberg (Meretz) said that her party’s initiative caused shock-waves across the country and “proves once again the need for public transportation on Shabbat.”
Meretz promised to continue in its struggle for public transportation on Shabbat.
Last month, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai criticized the lack of public transport on Shabbat. Israel is “the only country in the world in which public transport does not operate for a quarter of the year because of Shabbat and festivals,” Huldai said.
Religious parties remain adamantly opposed to any legislation that would allow for buses to run on holy days.
In a recent study examining the level of Jewish religiosity in Israel conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute and the Avi Chai Foundation, 59 percent of respondents said they were in favor of public transportation on Shabbat and 68% said that weekday activities, such as going to cinemas, cafes and restaurants, should be available on the Sabbath as well.
There is no legislation banning the operation of public transportation on Shabbat, but every bus line needs approval from the ministry, including for its hours of operation. As part of the status quo agreement on matters of religion and state, bus lines are generally prevented from operating on the Sabbath and festivals, except in the greater Haifa area, as buses operated there before the foundation of the state.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
If the Chareidim want tolerance for their practices and lifestyles, than it has to be reciprocal. Between half and two-thirds of Israelis are not strictly shomer shabbos and use the weekends for shopping, recreation and whatever. It makes no sense to allow buses in Haifa but not anywhere else. Let the buses run and people can decide for themselves whether to ride or not. I suspect the actual numbers will be a lot smaller than the chilonim claim but why should the governent dictate what people can or cannot do on shabbos.
There is 59% who want buses c”v in the holy shabbs, there is 60% who eating treifos nveilos in isreal, there is 70% who eating chumatz on passover, but isreal has still the chutzpa of calling themself a jewish state, what a joke
Why is it wonderful that people can spit at G-d in front of us and we can do nothing about it? Do you believe freedom is more important than the Torah?
We are deeply saddened by the Israeli people leaving Torah and we do not accept their right to do so. Now we should think of the best method to change that behavior. Maybe stopping bus lines is correct, maybe it isn’t. But the idea that we should let them do what they want is against the Torah.
200 people. WOW! I hope no self-appointed ha-ha-haredi kanoi is dumb enough to respond to this nonsense. Nitzan got nipped in the bud again, because the market for his extremism died out 40 years ago.
Simple practical issue – if in a “democratic Israel” buses run on shabbos what protection will a shomer shabbos bus driver have to avoid being fired for not working on shabbos?
Nitzan claims the bus service will “reduce traffic accidents “, does he know who runs the world and what He has in plan for us? Obviously Not!!!