In the latest controversy between Orthodox Jewry and the secular world, a group of Hared Jews have decided to boycott EL AL for its decision to let its own officials decide when it is ok or not to fly on Shabbat. The Haredim argue that a Rabbi should be in charge of that decision since he would be the expert on the issue.
I wonder if these same Jews decide when taxis can work and if not, do they ride with taxis on weekdays even if they work on Shabbat?
Some people may scoff at these entire debate but if Muslims were occupied with this sort of discussions, a lot of today's problems around the world would go away.
Posted by Andre at December 11, 2006 06:36 PMYes, in Israel virtually all taxi companies which serve religious neighbourhoods are closed on Shabbos. Some (small minority) of the individual drivers do, but that's their own business. As for the bus, Egged does not run on Shabbos. Any other questions?
Posted by: Ploney at December 11, 2006 10:11 PMYes, in Israel virtually all taxi companies which serve religious neighbourhoods are closed on Shabbos. Some (small minority) of the individual drivers do, but that's their own business. As for the bus, Egged does not run on Shabbos. Any other questions?
Posted by: Ploney at December 11, 2006 10:12 PMThanks. It seems silly that El AL won't work with the community they serve. I think if El Al is supposed to be the official Israeli Airline it should follow Jewish ruling.
Posted by: Andre at December 12, 2006 02:57 AMPloney - that isn't entirely accurate. The religious in Israel use the "standard" taxis in Jerusalem, tel aviv, and in other areas. They use the sherut's from the airport, and other means of transportation that run on shabbat (most drivers are not religious). And while Egged does not run city buses on shabbat, they do run tour buses- same company.
Andre, El Al, like all other private companies, don't fall under Jewish law and they should absolutely not follow Jewish rulings. If they decide that for BUSINESS reasons they shouldn't fly on shabbat (loss of customer base), then they should rethink it. I think they should do cost/benefit analysis of the profit they would get for the 24+ hours they are missing, combined with the Haredi they would loose (other Orthodox would still fly them), and then decide for their shareholders what is the best method.
Posted by: Adam at December 12, 2006 07:46 PMWhat if most customers love eggs and bacon for breakfast?
Posted by: Andre at December 12, 2006 09:46 PM