Religious businesspeople are demanding equal protection under the law regulating government tenders. According to a new coalition of religious businesspeople, in order to compete for some government tenders, businesses and service providers are forced to commit to work on the Sabbath, in contradistinction to the law protecting employees' rights regarding work on the Sabbath.
The new business coalition is also protesting the deterioration overall as regards respect for the law when it comes to the Sabbath. The entrepreneurs note that new conditions of competition have been created in the market that severely mitigate against Sabbath observance.
Eli Hollander, owner of the Planet Time chain of stores, told Arutz-7 today that the religious entrepreneurs decided to come together after the publication of the terms of the tender for shops in the new airport complex, Ben-Gurion 2000. In the tender conditions, it was stipulated that the shop operators in the airport would be obligated to remain open seven days a week and on holidays.
Hollander emphasized that the objective of the businesspeople in the coalition is not religious coercion, but the prevention of secular coercion. "In many airports around the globe, it is accepted that shops are closed on Sunday. Why in Israel is it impossible to maintain the ancient tradition of the Sabbath?"
The new business coalition is also protesting the deterioration overall as regards respect for the law when it comes to the Sabbath. The entrepreneurs note that new conditions of competition have been created in the market that severely mitigate against Sabbath observance.
Eli Hollander, owner of the Planet Time chain of stores, told Arutz-7 today that the religious entrepreneurs decided to come together after the publication of the terms of the tender for shops in the new airport complex, Ben-Gurion 2000. In the tender conditions, it was stipulated that the shop operators in the airport would be obligated to remain open seven days a week and on holidays.
Hollander emphasized that the objective of the businesspeople in the coalition is not religious coercion, but the prevention of secular coercion. "In many airports around the globe, it is accepted that shops are closed on Sunday. Why in Israel is it impossible to maintain the ancient tradition of the Sabbath?"