Bnei Brak to test Shabbos sirens after Friday malfunction

The Bnei Brak municipality announced Monday evening that it will conduct system checks on the city's Shabbos sirens in the coming hours, following malfunctions discovered last Friday.

According to the announcement, residents may hear music or announcements from the Shabbos sirens throughout the city during the tests. The municipality clarified that these are routine checks only and there is no cause for concern.

Shabbos sirens are an integral part of the urban landscape in Bnei Brak and other chareidi cities, broadcasting music and announcements to mark the onset of Shabbos every Friday afternoon. The malfunctions discovered last Shabbos prompted the municipality to take action.

The issue of Shabbos sirens has sparked disputes in various cities across Israel in the past. As reported on Kikar Hashabbat, in the city of Charish, chareidi residents managed to organize new sirens after the local council confiscated the existing ones, despite the short time remaining before Shabbos.

A dispute also arose in Petach Tikva over the matter. According to a legal opinion from the legal adviser of the Tel Aviv district of the Israel Police, there is no legal problem with operating Shabbos sirens, and any action taken to prevent it is unlawful.

In Bnei Brak, where the majority of residents are shomrei Torah u'mitzvos, Shabbos sirens have operated routinely for many years. The malfunctions discovered last Shabbos are a departure from the norm, and the municipality is working to correct them quickly.