In Tel Aviv, a Heated Debate Over Transit on the Sabbath

Stop us if this one sounds familiar: there's a new mandate in the works that's pitting secular practice against the religious establishment. This one's got nothing to do with contraception, but it's rousing public passions nonetheless.

On Monday the Israeli city of Tel Aviv took the first step toward permitting the operation of public transportation on the Sabbath. Throughout most of Israel, buses and other transit operations shut down from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday in observance of the Jewish day of rest, as well as on religious holidays. The practice is governed by custom, not law, and the country's transportation department is allowed to authorize exceptions. Notable ones include Haifa, a city with a largely mixed Jewish-Arab population, and Eilat.