The Haifa District Court rejected a petition by religious residents who sought to close the public swimming pool in Pardes Hanna-Karkur during Shabbat.
Judge Ron Sokol ruled that the petition was filed with significant delay, as the pool has been operating during Shabbat since 2017.
The petitioners claimed that operating the pool on Shabbat is contrary to the municipal bylaw prohibiting the opening of businesses on Shabbat, and that this harms the Shabbat-observing public who avoid coming to the site even on weekdays. On the other hand, the local council claimed that a swimming pool is not defined as a business, and that it operates in accordance with the terms of a tender published in 2016.