Israel Electric Corp.
Photo: Elad Gershgogan
Arab Israelis to produce Shabbat electricity
Infrastructure minister to recruit Arab Israelis to operate electric company facilities on Shabbat
Infrastructure Minister Benyamin Ben-Eliezer has plans to recruit the first batch of Arab Israelis to the Electric Corp.
Ben-Eliezer announced his plans to members of the United Torah Judaism faction who have opposed the operation of the company's key facilities by Jewish workers on Shabbat.
The employment of Arab Israeli workers for weekend shifts will end the row between the Infrastructure Ministry and the orthodox party.
"I am hopeful that soon we will relay the work of producing electricity on Shabbat to non-Jewish workers," said Eliezer. "Today, in an era when most systems are automated, it is possible to assign the job to a limited number of workers."
Some haredi Jews have been avoiding using electricity on Shabbat, charging that the electricity non-kosher because it is produced by Jews.
Observant Jews are forbidden from operating electrical appliances on Shabbat but can use them if they had been put in operation prior to Shabbat and remain on until its end.
