Henri's, a dairy restaurant chain with a branch in the Sarona Market in Tel Aviv, is being fined on a weekly basis to the tune of 3500nis because the owner wants to stay closed on Shabbos. The contract he signed when he took the location in this new mall stipulates that the shop must be open on Shabbos, as the owner of the mall wants the place to be in business all week long. The owner of Henri's claims that despite the contract there was an oral acceptance of the fact that they might not stay open on Shabbos, or at least it would be open for discussion. This branch of Henri's is also the only place in Sarona that has a hechsher because it is the only place closed on Shabbos.
source: Srugim and Kooker
Shocking that the law states businesses must be closed and can be fined for operating on Shabbos, while the mall owner forces the businesses to stay open on Shabbos. I wonder which fine is larger - the City/State or the mall, though the State is not that good about enforcing the Shabbos laws in most cities, so the mall is probably better about fining Henri's than the State is about fining Sarona.
I propose a suggestion that this restaurant deserves to be supported by people who respect the fact that he does not want to be forced to work on Shabbos. Go eat at Henri's, if you may, and tell him you support him remaining closed on Shabbos.
And the State should step up its enforcement of Sarona and fine it heavily for doing business on Shabbos. I don't know how this can be dealt with legally, considering he signed a contract. Maybe lawyers can weigh in - perhaps it is an illegal clause as it violates a State law or City ordinance. Even if at one point he intended to be open 7 days a week, perhaps he might change his mind at a later date, for business or personal reasons, and choose to close. People should not be forced to work on Shabbos in Israel.
------------------------------------------------------ Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel ------------------------------------------------------
