Survey: 75% of the Jewish public in Israel supports the operation of public transportation on Shabbat

After the Minister of Transportation's statement that he would work to allow the light rail in Gush Dan to operate on Shabbat, the Hadosh Association for Religious Freedom and Equality conducted a survey from which it emerged that 98% of the secular public supports this, along with 37% of the religious or national religious public

Between Ashkenazi and Kenan Cohen

25/08/2022

Thursday, August 25, 2022, 5:18 p.m. Updated: 8:06 p.m.

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share by email

• Share in general

• Comments

  Comments

On video: test ride of the light rail on the Tel Aviv - Bat Yam line (still photography: Reuven Castro, video photography: Yotam Ronen)

The Minister of Transportation, Merav Michaeli (Labor), announced yesterday (Wednesday) that she will work to allow the light rail in Gush Dan to operate on Saturday.

Michaeli's words reopened the question that accompanies us almost everywhere - should the Israeli government operate public transportation on Shabbat.

According to a survey by the Hadosh Association for Religious Freedom and Equality, 75% of the Jewish public over the age of 18 in Israel supports the operation of public transportation on Shabbat.

The survey was conducted by telephone through the Smith Institute between August 9-11, 2022 among 800 people, as a representative sample of the adult Jewish population in Israel (ages 18 and above). Sampling error - 3.5%.

According to the findings of the survey, among those who support the operation of public transportation on Shabbat, 37% believe that the government should be allowed to approve public transportation on Shabbat and decide on the routes, frequency and scope of the service. On the other hand, another 38% believe that it should be allowed For each local authority to regulate this for its residents.

Among the voters of the coalition parties, the support rate reaches about 95% or higher.

79% of right-wing voters support it, as do 68% of Likud voters.

37% of the public that defines itself as religious or nationally religious, 63% of the traditional-religious public, 88% of the traditional-non-religious public and 98% of the secular public, support the operation of public transportation on Shabbat.

The light rail in Jerusalem (photo: official website, Ariel Zandberg)

Among the 37% who define themselves as national religious and support the operation of public transportation on Shabbat, 27% believe that each local authority should decide for itself, while 10% believe that the government should be allowed to do so.

The rest are opposed.

The CEO of Hadosh, Rabbi Adv. Uri Regev, testified that the association closely follows the public's positions on the issue and sees that "unlike the politicians who submit to the dictates of the religious parties, the majority of the public supports running public transportation on Shabbat, and that this is one of the most important issues for change for the majority of the public".

He congratulated the Minister of Transportation "for finally taking a practical step in the necessary direction, and it's a shame that she didn't do it sooner, since the demand for public transportation on Shabbat was one of the cornerstones of the coalition agreement with the Labor Party, as well as in the coalition agreements of Blue and White, Israel Beitno and Meretz".

Rabbi Regev added, "Now it remains to be hoped that this step will be maintained even after the elections, and that the Likud will also listen to the desire of its voters to be freed from surrendering to the blackmail of the ultra-orthodox parties in general, and on the issue of public transportation on Shabbat in particular. Public transportation on Shabbat is essential not only for realizing the values ​​of religious freedom guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence, But to help disadvantaged population groups who are unable to rely on a private vehicle, as well as the young and the elderly, and even soldiers on leave who wish to spend the weekend, and today we prevent them from relying on public transportation."

More in Walla!

Michaeli: I will work to operate the light rail on Saturday;

Shas: "Cynical election campaign at the expense of Judaism"

To the full article

Not ideology - but practice

Kenan Cohen

The survey by the Hadosh association does not refer to the technical level of operating public transportation on Shabbat - between the desire of some of the participants and the possibility that this will actually happen. Operating public transportation, and especially one that is heavily subsidized like the one in Israel, should be done when it is founded on an understanding of the needs and actual users For example, on the Matron lines in Haifa that operate on the weekend, there are less than a third of the passengers on a weekday. Even if the figures for the use of the light rail are higher, it is far from providing a justification to operate a means of transportation with a huge service envelope at a cost of hundreds of thousands of shekels.

Also the employment aspect of the employees must come into total consideration. Both the need to approve work on Shabbat by the Ministry of Economy and the associated financial costs, which will further reduce the viability of its operation. The argument about an economic acceleration of economic activity in the region sounds lame, especially due to the fact that the businesses along the line are closed on the weekend, With the exception of one center in Jaffa.

• news

• News in Israel

• Society and welfare

Tags

• Public Transport

• Marev Michaeli