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Israel’s Supreme Court says stores should stay open in Tel Aviv on the Sabbath. Some say they struck a blow for freedom. Some say, workers deserve a day off. Some say, God is a higher authority. Who’s right?
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This is a segment from The “Is it Time to Retire the ‘Z Word’?” Edition.
Back in the late 90s, Germany, or at least one of its Federal States, forced all business to close on Sundays, save for bakeries which could be open for just a few hours in the morning (I think now there is no Sunday ban). The US had Sabbath closing laws in many of its States, associated with religious revival movements which entered politics. Federally, once mail was delivered on Sundays, but such a movement got Sunday delivery banned via Congress, still the law today, although most today wouldn’t see the ban as religious.
Sounds like the outgoing High Court Chief Justice wanted to deflect such regulation from becoming a religious lever in politics. In these populist days, I can see that motivation. From the discussion in this piece, the decision was one of statute, not constitutional principle, which the Knesset can easily overturn, taking back the autonomy it granted to municipalities on the issue; if the 2 Justice minority had won you might have had a constitutional revision on your hands.