#0202_A_View_From_West_Jerusalem

"“The billionaire who is closing Jerusalem-based businesses on the Sabbath: ‘I’ve got many more projects on the way.’

On the one hand, Laurent Levi is one of the greatest people of action around, a billionaire purchasing well-known, Jerusalem-based establishments, and a person who isn’t afraid to bring out the bulldozers without a permit in order to keep things moving. On the other hand, he is a religious man who won’t allow businesses in his buildings to operate during the Sabbath. […]

Over the years, he has made sure that his businesses observe the Sabbath. When he purchased the Resto-Bar in Rehavia [neighborhood], this decision drew much criticism to him. […] ‘Whoever works at one of my properties has to understand that he won’t be working on the Sabbath,’ he asserts. ‘To each, his own, but in my businesses, people will not work on the Sabbath. This is how it’s going to be in any place that I run, whether in Israel or abroad.”

– myNet Jerusalem

[Selected Comments:]
– "What a misleading article!
Laurent Levi is a dear man who has contributed much to the city, and has invested a lot of money because of his love for Jerusalem and Israel. And yes, he’s a religious man and he knows that he cannot profit from the violation of the Sabbath. Because of this, whatever he owns cannot earn money during the Sabbath – he gives up on a lot of money for his belief. […] Yes, there are businesses renting from him, and in their contract, he wrote that they cannot operate on the Sabbath, because it is forbidden for him. […]
This isn’t religious coercion; it is secular coercion to forbid a religious person to do business while observing the Sabbath.”
– "As long as it’s his own private business, I don’t see an issue with him setting the working hours. The problem is that […] too many people want to force [others'] businesses to close on the Sabbath."
– "So annoying! Respect the fact that there are people who are different from you, don’t steal our city. […]"
– "Excuse me, who is this person?! And where is Barkat [Jerusalem Mayor] in this whole mess?? Hasn’t he heard of ‘live and let live’? The nerve of this man!"

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0202 Editor's Notes:
During the Sabbath, on Saturday, Judaism prohibits commercial activity, among other things, as part of the Sabbath observance. Additionally, according to Jewish religious law, an observer of the Sabbath cannot profit from any violation of the Sabbath by another Jew.

#Sabbath #Religion #Business #Church_And_State

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