Israel won the 2018 Eurovision song contest. Great! This means that next year (2019) – the contest is due to take place in the Holy Land. It’s a big opportunity for income and public relations. For many it’s also a good opportunity to strengthen the status of Jerusalem, or at least its sectors that are not in any international dispute.
Alas, Jerusalem is never as easy as ABC… The Jewish Orthodoxy has started (as usual) a big cry, forbidding any activities in the sacred city during the Sabbath. It was Miri Regev, the current Minister of Culture and Sport, who found a creative solution (or rather phrased things in a creative way): “The activities during the Sabbath will only be the rehearsals, not the actual work.”
So, it seems we have been blessed with a new female religious authority… or haven’t we? Just a few days later, and there’s a new religious crisis. Now it’s in Tel Aviv. Apparently an essential bridge is going to be built over the Ayalon Freeway. When is the right time to build a bridge? You guessed right – during the Sabbath, when less traffic jams irritate the working class.
You also guessed right the next chapter: The Jewish Orthodoxy has started (as usual) a big cry, forbidding any activities in the busy city during the Sabbath. Now it’s me rather than Mrs. Regev, suggesting a solution: Let them only rehearse building the bridge during the Sabbath!