Israel's 'Freest Cities' Ranked in Shabbat Services Report
A new report by "Israel Free" (Israel Chofeshit) has ranked Israel's 60 most populous Jewish cities based on the availability of services and activities on Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest. The "Shabbat Test" report, now in its fourth year, assesses cities by whether commerce, dining, transportation, sports clubs, and pharmacies operate on Shabbat. Cities with a predominantly secular population tend to offer more services, while those with traditional, religious, or Haredi majorities generally have more restrictions.
At the bottom of the list, with a complete shutdown of services on Shabbat, are five cities: Ofakim, Beit Shemesh, Netivot, Tzfat, and Sderot. Conversely, Givatayim, Herzliya, Ramat HaSharon, and Tel Aviv-Yafo received full marks, topping the "secularism index." Other cities like Eilat, Haifa, and Rishon LeZion also scored well, receiving 5 or 4 points respectively.
The report highlights a significant disparity between central Israel and the periphery. The Gush Dan and Sharon regions boast an average score of 4.2, offering residents nearly three times more services on Shabbat than cities in the Jerusalem and Southern regions, which average 1.5. This gap is strongly linked to the availability of public transportation on weekends, with cities participating in the "Naim Basashav" (Weekend Go) initiative scoring an average of 5.2, compared to 2.2 for non-participating cities.
While cultural and sports activities are relatively common across many cities, even those with limited commerce, the area with the fewest municipalities scoring points is the attempt to change bylaws allowing commerce on Shabbat, with only 10 cities receiving points. Notably, 13 municipalities lack any accessible pharmacies on Shabbat, forcing residents in cities like Beit Shemesh and Tzfat to travel to neighboring towns for urgent medication. Despite overall low scores, some cities with limited commerce still offer dining options, with only 10 municipalities having no restaurants or food carts open on Shabbat.
