A campaign promoting Shabbos observance in Ramat Gan has been met with vandalism: one of the signs placed across the city was defaced with sheets of paper bearing a message telling the organizers not to post their signs in the neighborhood.
The campaign, led by the organization Meir'im et HaShabbat (Illuminating the Shabbos), was recently installed at several locations throughout Ramat Gan. The signs feature the message "And the children of Israel shall keep the Shabbos, it belongs to the Jewish people," alongside an image of a Shabbos table and a blessing to the Jewish people for a good and blessed year.
One of the signs, placed on Ben Gurion Street, was covered with white sheets of paper on which someone had written: "You are in a liberal neighborhood! Israelis live here who are Zionists loyal to the Declaration of Independence. Please do not disturb the sanctity of our values and our way of life. Thank you, the public who serve in the IDF and pay taxes."
Meir'im et HaShabbat condemned the vandalism. The organization said that while people are free to disagree with the message on the sign and to express a different position, there is no place for defacing public advertising.
The organization added that in response to the vandalism, it intends to continue its activities and even increase them. "Now we will strengthen Shabbos even more," a spokesman said.
According to the organization, Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama HaCohen condemned the vandalism and contacted police about the incident.
