Celebrations created mass Shabbat desecration
Photo: AP
What happened to Tel Aviv?
Tel Aviv celebrations show that city divides us instead of uniting us
Many years ago, Tel Aviv’s legendary Mayor Meir Dizengoff issued a public call against desecrating the Shabbat. In his plea, Dizengoff emphasized that hurting the Shabbat is akin to hurting Jewish solidarity and unity, and ended by saying: “If you keep the Shabbat, the Shabbat will safeguard us.”
However, when the celebrations of Tel Aviv’s 100th birthday got underway Saturday night, it appeared that the place of Jewish unity and solidarity has disappeared in the first Hebrew city. Although the celebrations started after Shabbat, they created mass Shabbat desecration.
The Shabbat was desecrated by the many police officers who deployed in the area before the show. The same is true for the numerous stage workers, bands, and many others who prepared the show. The celebration required participants to leave their homes during Shabbat, and certainly did not allow those living outside of Tel Aviv to make it on time if they wanted to keep the Shabbat.
Please note that Dizengoff stressed that Tel Aviv must remain a “pure Hebrew city” and even asked vehicle owners to honor the Shabbat on Tel Aviv’s streets. Regrettably, at this time Shabbat’s honor is being trampled all over Tel Aviv.
What about city’s diversity?
No less than it hurts to see Shabbat’s honor being trampled, it hurts to see that the importance of unity and consideration has disappeared; w feel pain over the fact that the first Hebrew city chose to celebrate the opening of its 100th birthday with only some of its residents; we feel pain over a city that divides us instead of uniting us.
And what about the actual opening celebration? It appears that there too, they forgot the great diversity among city residents. They forgot, for example, that there are residents in Tel Aviv who do not go to see the philharmonic orchestra every week, and instead prefer to celebrate with Middle Eastern music and perhaps even a prayer.
Nonetheless, we shall extend Mazal Tov wishes to Tel Aviv, which is celebrating its 100th birthday. As to the next 100 years, I wish for it to connect the many groups in the city – connect between the north and south, between veterans and new residents, and between the secular and religious. Let’s hope that the 200th birthday celebrations will take place in the middle of the week, and perhaps they will even include some Middle Eastern music…
The writer serves as the Bnei Akiva movement’s coordinator in the Dan district
