Grocers throughout Tel Aviv chose to remain open on Saturday, despite Interior Minster Gideon Sa'ar's recent ruling to have them close on Shabbat. The majority of the grocers and supermarkets affected by Sa'ars decision were open over the weekend as usual. Shoppers were confused at first, having expected stores to be closed, but rallied in support of the grocers and made their purchases. Tel Aviv Municipality clerks began handing out 730 shekel ($214) fines Saturday afternoon to all the grocers that were open. Store owners said they were pleased to see shoppers still coming in and making purchases as usual. "Up until last week, the vast majority of the city was content with the status quo. Why won't they let me live in peace in my city as I have until now-" Shai, a shopper who came to purchase a few essential items, said. Another shopper Shelly lamented the apparent motive behind the interior minister's ruling. "It is upsetting that it's so obvious the decision was made to serve political needs, at our expense, the residents of Tel Aviv. If there is a desire to change the status quo, it should be thought out and done in an organized manner with an alternative provided that satisfies the majority of the city's residents," she said. Some store employees had come to rely on the additional pay they get from weekend shifts. "While it may not be ideal to work Friday evening, it makes for good income and pays more than a regular shift. If they force [stores to close], it would be on the whole a significant blow to my salary," Eyal, an employee at the AM:PM grocer chain, said. An act of protest Store owners did not hide the fact that they are unsure whether they will be able to keep fighting Sa'ars decision. Kobi Cohen, manager of the Super Yuda chain which has nine branches in Tel Aviv, said his chain "decided to stay open on Shabbat, despite the warning letters we received that forbade us from being open then. We opened our stores as an act of protest and operated like we normally would. Many customers came, and in the end so did the city clerks with their fines. They [the clerks] are working thoroughly with a list of the stores that stayed open and going one by one. Clearly we cannot keep this going for a long time, Tel Aviv's municipality is enforcing the law much more strictly. We are resting our hopes on that next week something will happen." AM:PM employees joined the protest against the Shabbat closures. Employees wore shirts with "It's not nice to see a closed AM:PM," on them. Signs and banners with similar slogans were hung outside the branches. Employees at the Tiv Tam chain of grocers wore shirts with the slogan "Tel Aviv does not keep Shabbat," as a sign of their discontent with the interior minister's decision. Among the tools at their disposal the grocer chains can fight the ruling with a legal appeal, and can also try to apply political pressure. "There are preparations underway to rally next week at Rabin Square, and we expect many to protest and speak their mind. I want to believe that the leadership on the local and national level will do something, including Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yair Lapid. Also there will be an appeal about to be sent to the Supreme Court. It is very unfortunate that judges have to spend their time dealing with this issue," one of Super Yuda owners said. "The Knesset has evaded making a choice for a long time, and by doing so has forced us to act like crooks while being at the whims of the politicians," Cohen said.
