Behind the scenes

As leisure options for secular residents in the capital increase, city councillors and residents puzzle over the decision to close Cinema City on Shabbat. Will pressure on the mayor change the plans?

By PEGGY CIDOR
Cinema city 370 (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Cinema city 370
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Whether it is the impact of the Knesset elections –which yielded a coalition with no representatives from the haredi parties – or the influence of a secular mayor with quite a few secular members in his coalition, one thing has become clear in Jerusalem: Activism is growing on several fronts to change the character of Shabbat in the capital.
One the one hand, the legendary Restobar closed in March due to the fact that it was open on Shabbat and non-kosher. On the other hand, several restaurants, galleries and cinemas that will be open on Shabbat are set to open soon, first at the First Station this week – a new entertainment hub – and later at the Sherover Center. On balance, it seems that the secular residents are gaining traction in the legendary battle over Shabbat in the Holy City.
On May 4, two events were held to pressure the municipality to increase the city’s entertainment options on Shabbat. A dance and performance event at the Yaffo 23 art gallery and a demonstration at Safra Square were aimed at urging the mayor to allow Cinema City – scheduled to open by the end of June – to screen movies on Shabbat, despite the fierce opposition of the city council’s haredi representatives.
Though the Cinema City project is far from a beacon of cultural achievement in itself – “a mere business venture,” as one of Meretz’s activists has called it – he and his fellow activists nevertheless request that it open on Shabbat.
One of the reasons Cinema City has become such a bone of contention between the haredi and non-haredi factions is likely rooted in the fact that the city council approved the project’s operation and determined that it would be closed on Shabbat while most of the councillors were still ignorant of what was at stake.
“We were new in the political business, we didn’t really understand that we could decide otherwise,” one of those councillors admitted earlier this week.
The decision to approve the development of the Jerusalem Cinema City (which has been financed mostly by the Mifal Hapayis national lottery) but keep it closed on Shabbat was taken during the first year of this city council’s mandate. At voting time, Meretz and Hitorerut representatives – a total of four – voted against the Shabbat closure, even though they were all members of the coalition. However, they had low expectations of the resolution passing.
“We voted against [it] almost instinctively,” explains Ofer Berkowitz, head of the Hitorerut list, “though then we were pretty sure we had no chance of obtaining anything else. But today, with the atmosphere [among] the public, the changes in the government and its influence on this city, we believe that we have the strength and the capacity to change the situation, that it is not too late.”
For Meretz’s leader at the city council, the explanation is simple.
“We have always made one thing clear: Every cultural venue – be it a theater, a movie theater or anything, and of course private places or restaurants and bars – should be open on Shabbat,” declares Deputy Mayor Pepe Allalu, who holds the council’s culture portfolio.
“The only restriction would be that they are not located inside or too close to a haredi neighborhood. That’s the rule, that’s what we have been saying for over 25 years.”
The development that has brought about the looming change regarding Cinema City’s Shabbat status is a small investigation led by Hitorerut, which has revealed that besides Mifal Hapayis – which, says Berkowitz, is bound to the status-quo rules – the Treasury was also involved in the project. While the usual rules state that the status quo prevails whenever the state or local authorities such as the municipality are involved, in this particular case, the changes in the Finance Ministry enabled the change.
“When the finance minister is [Yesh Atid leader] Yair Lapid [and] his deputy is Mickey Levy, a Jerusalemite himself, we believe that change is possible,” says Berkowitz.
In addition to mounting a campaign to influence public opinion, activists issued a petition about a month ago protesting the Shabbat closure. Within less than a week, some 10,000 residents had signed it and sent it on to Lapid. Activists also sent a letter to Mayor Nir Barkat, calling on him to reconsider the closure.
But not all the involved parties are engaging in protests. Hatnua Hayerushalmit says that the greatest emphasis should be on developing local performers for local cultural events, and that these efforts should not be linked exclusively to business interests.
“Movie theaters open on Shabbat are of course a good thing for the benefit of secular residents,” explains Tzaphira Allison Stern, a choreographer, activist and candidate on the city council’s Meretz list.
“But that’s not the most important or urgent thing we need here. Rather, [the most important things are] bringing culture to this city, making life here friendly to secular residents and putting an end to the atmosphere of siege some of us experience here on Shabbat. One of the options for that position might be theFirst Station, which was scheduled to open this week. Avi Morduch, an entrepreneur who invested NIS 15 million in the project, says he is sure it will put an end to what he calls the “outdated debate over Shabbat in Jerusalem.” About 80 percent of the complex’s venues do not adhere to religious requirements. Most of the restaurants and coffee shops are not kosher, and almost all of the facilities – shops, open markets and, of course, the eateries – will be open on Shabbat.
But, opines Morduch, the railway station will not turn into just a shopping and business spot. Instead, it will become more of a destination for leisure and culture – “one that will give both Jerusalemites and visitors from the rest of the country or from abroad a sense of a vivid and living city, including on weekends,” he says.
The attitude of some Jerusalem residents at the city council is a little more sensitive. At voting time, city council member Rachel Azaria voted against keeping the Cinema City open on Shabbat, as she is religious.
But she nevertheless issued a declaration stating that she and her movement would welcome any initiative for culture and leisure on Shabbat that would observe the Gabison-Median agreement, which states that culture on Shabbat should be enabled, while business should not be included in what the status quo allows.
In that spirit, Azaria led an initiative two years ago to keep community centers open on Shabbat for activities suitable for both religious and secular families. Today, Hatnua Hayerushalmit continues to run various city activities on Shabbat (like the “Beraleh” activities for families on Shabbat afternoons) and is an active member of the Ginot Ha’ir community center’s “Yeru- Shalem” initiative, which strives to create a wide range of activities on Shabbat for all ages and levels of religious observance. In this way, the monthly “Oneg Shabbat” program offers tours, community meals, lectures, singing and children’s activities. For the moment, the rumor emanating from the haredi benches at the city council is that keeping the First Station open on Shabbat won’t go without protest, or even serious attempts to prevent it.
Asked if he was concerned about the possibility of haredi demonstrations in front of his project (like last year’s protests against the opening of the Carta parking lot), Morduch says, “I don’t think it will happen. But in any case, this place is going to become a very important tool for politicians on both sides. Secular [residents] and haredim will love presenting their individual struggle – to close [the site on Shabbat] or to open it – as part of their struggle for the benefit of their own constituencies. But the average residents and visitors will simply come and enjoy.”
After all, he adds, “we all deserve a decent place to spend our leisure time.” •