Hapoel Beer Sheva will continue the fight for the championship and open the top playoffs with a game in Turner against Hapoel Jerusalem on Saturday at 15:00, but it seems that not everyone is happy with that. City rabbi Yehuda Deri wrote a letter to the director of the leagues, the team’s management and the Minister of the Interior, requesting to change the date of the game so that it does not take place on Shabbat.
“I was surprised to hear today many calls from residents who are angry that since the opening of Turner Stadium in September 2015, when the team made sure to play on Mochash or on weekdays, the team intends to play for the first time on Shabbat at 3:00 p.m., desecrating the Sabbath en masse, to the chagrin of many Shabbat-observant fans , in addition to thousands of residents who live next to the stadium and its entrances, for whom the trampling of Shabbat in front of their eyes is a provocation and a serious injury to their rest and feelings (including the residents of the ultra-Orthodox Kriya),” it said.
“As you know, at the grand opening of the stadium I did not set the mezuzah until I was assured in front of all those present (including the public and members of the media) that there would be no games there on Saturdays and holidays, and then I blessed the audience with a committee that thanks to the observance of the Sabbath the team would achieve success above and beyond what was expected. And indeed in a miraculous way From then until today, there was a change in the position of the team until it became a top team, until even Amana minors in Israel and the Diaspora saw the blessing of Shabbat before their very eyes. Because the precedent you set attracted many teams to follow your path, to the point that in Israel most of the games today are held on Mochash and on weekdays.
“I don’t know who made this unfortunate decision that denies all goodness and blessing, and tramples the sanctity of the Sabbath and the unity that prevails in our city, while disrespecting and ignoring thousands of Shabbat-observing fans who wish to enjoy their team. Therefore, I appeal to you in every language of request to do as much as you can to change the decision This and to continue the status quo which has been maintained in the city for about ten years to the satisfaction of the majority of the city’s residents.”