Interior Ministry Chief Demands Big Fashion Glilot Close on Shabbat

Interior Ministry Director General Israel Ozen sent a sharp letter on Thursday to the Ramat HaSharon municipality, ordering it to begin immediate and active enforcement of the city bylaw banning businesses from opening on rest days. The practical meaning of the move is that Big Fashion Glilot, the newly opened and highly contentious shopping complex, must be closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays.

The letter was issued while the ministry is reviewing Ramat HaSharon’s request to amend its bylaw retroactively so stores and malls can legally stay open on weekends. Ozen said that until Interior Minister approval is formally granted, the existing stricter law remains in force and the city must enforce it. He criticized the municipality and its leadership for allowing the complex to operate in violation of the current rules.

Ozen rejected the city’s argument that the amendment is needed only to align the law with “the reality on the ground.” He wrote that this would mean the unlawful situation itself created the basis for the proposed arrangement, adding, “There is no place to agree to and accept a flawed situation in which the sinner is rewarded.”

The ministry also said Ramat HaSharon’s explanations so far are insufficient and set demanding conditions for continuing the review. The city must provide a full policy work plan, updated data on the types of businesses seeking to open, and proof of the exact “essential need” they serve for residents on rest days. The opening of Big Fashion Glilot on Shabbat has already angered the ultra-Orthodox leadership and religious groups, which called for consumer boycotts, while the mall’s management and business owners say the operation is a clear public and economic need.