... be given a day off of work where it's possible to actually get things done? We're a society of working parents, for the most part. Banks organise themselves to ensure that they're only open while the rest of us are at work... the post office does the same... heaven forbid we should have to go to a governmental office. We're left with Fridays until around 2PM to get the entire weeks' worth of chores done... it's a bloody nightmare! Now to also close the few stores/malls that open on Shabbat... How's about we work half day Fridays and get Sunday off? Really, the rush and pressure to get everything done before 2 on a Friday, along with the other thousands of people doing the same, is just too much.

about swine eaters and others who defile their bodies with unclean foods when the Messiah comes: they are not protected. Same would be true for those who break the Shabbat, and only Israel honors the true Shabbat of God as a nation. They will not be protected when the Messiah comes unless there is a compelling reason like emergency services and taxis and hospitals and buses. The Prophet Zechariah says only a third of Israel will be protected when the Messiah comes and the rest will die from invading and waring enemies the Messiah will fight. That is most instructive. Strive to be among the third who have God's favor. Russian immigrants should give up pork so they will have a hope to be among the survivors who enter the Lord's Thousand Year Kingdom of Peace. Do a word search in a Concordance to the Bible on swine eaters and the Sabbath to see what God thinks of breaking His sabbath and His dietary laws.

Well said No.1 - everywhere in the world has 7 day shopping - I work from 9 to 6 - the shops and banks are closed and I get home at 7 - so the only day is Friday which means I cannot visit my grandchildren as there is no transport on Saturday. That is life in a nutshell in Israel. The public and customer is not important. If you dont want to shop on a Shabbat that is your choice, dont dictate to others

With your suggestion peopole would work only 4 1/2 days a week . Do you think it's enough ? They had a 36 hours week in France , a catastrophe , and they return to more hours .

There is , or maybe better : there WAS , a special sphere in a Kibbutz on Shabbat . Yes . But were'nt there people working too? If malls are open on Shabbat , it's because there is a demand . People want to do some shopping , eating , drinking with their children . Without having to be under time pressure . They want to do it "relax"

I fully agree with you, regarding the difficulty in getting things done for me. I'm chareidi, but I manage. I indeed work Monday to Friday, until an hour before shabbat; I work in a company that works with European customers, so we have to be available on European hours, as much as we can. That includes working on Purim, Tisha b'Av, Chol HaMoed, Yom HaAtzmaut, election day, etc - days on which most Israelis don't work. (Which makes it all the more frustrating to see people complaining about "those not-working chareidim who live off welfare" - I work more days than most people in this country!) But indeed, I have all of Sunday off, and I love it, because - unlike other religious people - I have one full day to take day tours, for example, to go to the Golan or a forest or the Dead Sea for a day (without having only a few hours and having to be back before Shabbat). It is sometimes a bit chaotic on Friday afternoon before Shabbat, but we manage to get most things done either on Thursday night or before I leave from home on Friday morning, so we always manage. I highly prefer this to working Sunday - Thursday and having only a few hours on Friday morning to get everything done. And Charles: many companies, especially in the IT sector, are cutting hours anyway (Haaretz wrote recently about companies that switched to a 4-day week, working Monday to Thursday only).

Like everything in your life, you have to PLAN it out. Thursday is a get ready day. Remember Shabbat rest is not on some island far away where you have to say, "Can someone go and bring it back for me? So I can make use of it?" No. It's near to you, it's in your heart.

Stores which open on Saturday don't hire workers who need Sat. off for religious reasons - absolutely unacceptable in our "Jewish state", but a sad fact of life. If Sunday will be a day off for everyone, we won't be able to shop, bank, etc because everything will be closed - what's the solution?

Those companies made a choice , due to the situation . They prefer to hold their work force , who , most probably , will earn less . Or , they will work more hours per day , not very interesting either .

there is no discrimination... everyone can go buy a car. I remember my father sitting in front of the paper trying to buy a car, saving grushim as inflation ate all his earnings up. He still did it! So stop "bulshet" about the "poor" can't. And yes, this is why we need to honor Jewish traditions like hametz and shabbat even if we are not religious.

to choose whether or not they should absorb the Shabbat. and remember that over 20% of Israelis are not Jewish in addition to the thousands of tourists that are in the country.

Stores in malls can have religious workers too . Shops need more than one worker , so religious can work when non religious have a day off , no one is in a shop from 10 AM to 9 PM , certainly not in the great chain stores . Many work there half time too . So NO discrimination , maybe a small one , those working Shabbat have most probably a better salary .

Friday afternoon is a sacred institution in Israel Shabat is becoming "goy" Sunday. Let us have a Shopday to begin the week with non working Sundays

if it is weak it must be shut down but oz days are not let it opened . but god asked the shabat days not to work and god will judge his day shabat . may they will transfer to monkeys as once before but what kind of monkeys .i think it would be shambanzi and gorella and they would never returned back to humanity

it's a Jewish nation, it's not the West looking for every second to make money, and it should not be changed for touristic purposes. If we keep throwing Jewish traditions and mandates away, Israel will destroy itself.

Just institute a two day weekend like the rest of the world. But make Sunday a "secular" day of rest. That way, you can properly observe the Shabbat and then use the next day for shopping, watch a football game, etc... Any thoughts on my suggestion?

Amos Oz grew up in his kibutz with the spiritual feeling towards the Shabbat. His desire to close the Malls is internally motivated. Today's generation in the State Of Israel has been denied the richness of spiritual heritage as a product of the State run education. Closing the Malls will do nothing to bring back Mr. Oz's religious spiritual feelings that are missing today.....

I fully understand that Amos Oz is missing the Shabbat atmosphere. Everyone can maintain the atmosphere of shabbat every time of his choosing.

I think Oz relates his own Kibbutz background to how the ideal world should be. They had no synagogues, so he doesnt think synagogues are necessary. They didnt do work on shabbat, so he wants the shops closed. Well people grow up in different environments Amos, some more traditional and some less. Oz's reality, tho sentimental, isnt anyone else's.

Someone has to work in the businesses open on Shabbat and that translates into workers being given the choice between their religion and their ability to work.

He doesn't have to go to shopping malls on Saturday - he doesn't even have to get in his car to drive by and see the swarms of people ascending on shopping malls for retail therapy - what the eyes don't see the heart doesn't grieve over. So, Mr. Oz - don't preach to us about what YOU would like, I for one, don't really care. Each of us lives our own life, it can be religious and it can be secular. If a religious family is at home on Saturday, enjoying Shabbat, why would it disturb them that others are out shopping? It doesn't reduce THEIR values of Judaism. Stop being so desperate to get attention - write a book instead.

first iam not jew but i like your post on religouse family it is good to keep religion in your family but please i want to tell something that you did still you attack the auther as if there is a big gap between what you write and how to live ... i think oz is not that lier to say only what he did not believe .. and i think judism is more strict than others religions so it needs a strong will to keep it as it was in the first . but i support you to keep your judism in your family but not attak others in their beliefe

and how you can make money to get fun ... in other countries they do two weekends but they do not aware of fun and money for the fun like here in israil . i see here most of the people work hard for days to spend the money for fun in others days .. so your suggestion will faif\l unless the people change their habit about work money and fun

Keep the malls open on Shabbat. It keeps the hordes of trashy Israelis away from the beautiful forests and national parks that I visit together with my family, friends, and other respectful nature-loving people.

I'm not attacking - I'm commenting on his snide remarks that shops should be closed on shabbat because HE doesn't think they should be open. If he hadn't have said this, I wouldn't have commented. So, darling, who is attacking who here?

LOL! that's so true!!! Unfortunately, the two legged animals still find their way to our beauty spots and leave their bamba packets and trash behind. It's heartbreaking.