Ramat Hasharon mayor rejects Interior Ministry bid to close Big Fashion Glilot on Saturdays

Ramat Hasharon Mayor Yitzhak Rochberger said he rejects a demand from the Interior Ministry to shut Big Fashion Glilot on Shabbat, arguing that the ministry cannot define his city’s character or close the complex. Speaking with Anat Davidov on 103FM on June 21, 2026, he said, “I reject the Interior Ministry director general’s demand” and added, “You do not want to shop, do not shop.”

Rochberger said the city has already prepared a policy document and submitted it to the Interior Ministry for approval so it can enforce rules on businesses that open on Saturday. He said Ramat Hasharon, which he described as a liberal local authority, is obligated to enforce weekend opening rules “to the extent of our ability.”

He stressed that practical enforcement is limited because the city has only two inspectors available to work on Shabbat. He also noted that the Big Glilot site opened about a year and a half ago, has many stores, functions more like a street than a closed mall, and that 40% of the shops there are closed on Shabbat by choice.

Rochberger accused the ministry of trying to impose itself on a liberal and democratic city and said the issue is already before the court. He said the Interior Ministry director general can ask for stronger enforcement, but cannot close the complex even under the law. He added that there were no direct threats, but called the timing of the ministry’s letter, just days before the court hearing, “politics for the sake of politics,” and said Big Fashion would remain open within the law.