Company logo. 'The campaign was launched in good faith'
Taxi company's 'wild weekend' contest draws haredi boycott
Gett forced to cancel campaign encouraging drivers to work on Shabbat after Jerusalem rabbis call on ultra-Orthodox public not to use company's taxis on weekdays either.
A weekend trip competition among Gett (formerly GetTaxi) drivers has led Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox rabbis to announce a boycott on the company by, forcing the company to cancel the event.
The Rabbis' Committee for the Sanctity of Shabbat announced in a statement that after consulting the haredi leadership, it had decided that "the entire public must refrain from using this company's travel services throughout the week, thereby expressing the protest duty."
In a bid to encourage its drivers to work on weekends, global taxi company Gett recently announced a "wild weekend" contest, promising pecuniary rewards to drivers who would increase their number of trips on weekends. But the company failed to consider a possible response from Jerusalem's haredi population.
Shabbat Transportation
Ultra-Orthodox object to Jerusalem's planned bike rental service, as it would also be operating on Shabbat; 'Jerusalem is a holy city. That's how it needs to be run,' says haredi city councillor.
Gett taxi in Jerusalem. Haredim are also unhappy with television screens installed inside cabs (Archive photo: Rafi Kutz)
The committee, which is in charge of protecting modesty prohibitions in the haredi society, also complained about the installment of television screens in the company's taxis, saying it could cause passengers to watch prohibited content and lead to a spiritual breakdown. They also complained about the use of online booking, which has been banned by rabbis.
In the past, following haredi demands, public companies decided not to place screens in their stations and buses and instead use electronic displays on which commercials and clips cannot be screened.
"They are throwing dust in the public's eyes," the committee said in ads distributed in Jerusalem's synagogues. "The company's observation of the Sabbath is limited to Jerusalem only, while it desecrates Shabbat in all of the country's cities and even includes the slogan 'Need pizza on Shabbat? We'll be there in 10 minutes' in its campaign. In fact, the taxi traveling in Jerusalem on weekdays may be in Tel Aviv on Shabbat, crushing its dignity."
A Gett source says the company did not expect such an fierce response and has informed its drivers that the competition would be limited to one hour before Shabbat and one hour after Shabbat. He also argued that there was no desecration of Shabbat, as the campaign was not intended for the "Gett Mehadrin" drivers, who serve haredi passengers.
The Committee for the Sanctity of Shabbat said in response, however, that it did not distinguish between the different vehicles and that the company's Shabbat desecrations were a good enough reason for a comprehensive boycott.
"Gett (formerly GetTaxi) operates a specific taxicab fleet for the religious-haredi sector called 'Gett Mehadrin,' which uses vehicles that do not travel on Shabbat," the company said in a statement. "The company's management, led by the CEO, met with members of the Committee for the Sanctity of Shabbat last week. During the meeting, the company made it clear to the rabbis that the campaign was launched in good faith and with lack of consideration.
"The management informed the rabbis that the Sabbath was removed from the campaign, and an official announcement will be issued in the upcoming meeting of the Committee for the Sanctity of Shabbat."
