Football on Saturdays in Israel declared a crime

After long discussions and discussions on the conduct of matches of the Israel Football Championship on Saturdays, due to numerous appeals from players wishing to observe the Sabbath, the district labor dispute court decided to temporarily ban games on Saturdays.

The decision rendered by the court obliges the Israel Football Association to stop playing matches on Saturdays until September 7, the moment when the next court session will be held.

“It is a criminal offense to hold football games on Saturday, and for that reason there is no way I can authorize these matches,” Judge Ariela Gilzer-Katz said during the hearing. “The game must end at least an hour before the onset of Shabbat, or begin an hour after its end.”

“At the moment there is no right to work on Saturdays in the country,” Gilzer-Katz continued, “So you are breaking the law. Ask the Minister of Economy for this permission. According to Israeli law, you cannot play on Saturday. I will not give such permission, because by doing so I will commit a criminal act.”

MK Miki Zohar supported the ban on football on Saturdays: “I applaud the judge for reminding us all that working on Saturdays is a criminal offense in every respect. This bill would allow athletes to retain the rest day they are entitled to by law. It is impossible that the Jewish democratic state of Israel would not allow Jews to observe the Sabbath. It is a criminal offense to force players to play on Saturdays."

The chairman of the Knesset Olympic Athletes' Commission, Yoel Razvozov, opposed the court's decision, saying that for military personnel and many other Israeli citizens, Saturday is the only day they can attend sporting events. “I respect athletes who observe Shabbat,” Razvozov wrote on his Facebook page, “However, such a radical step without discussion and discussion only makes things worse for both sports and religion.”

Shabbat is the seventh day of the week, which is essentially a holiday for Jews. Already the day before Shabbat, Jews begin to wish each other “Shabbat Shalom,” that is, “peaceful Saturday” or “hello Saturday.” The main rule of Shabbat is that a person should not work.