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Nov 16, 2016

Opposing the muezzin law

MK Yogev's law proposal to put an end to the muezzin blaring at all hours of the day and night and causing a disturbance to residents sometimes even many kilometers away, had passed the initial vote in the Ministerial Legislative Committee and was scheduled to be brought to the Knesset today for further voting. That law proposal is now at least postponed if not off the table entirely.

Minister Yaakov Litzman has filed an appeal against the proposal, forcing it to be stalled in the process. MK Eichler has joined in to the appeal, though for different reasons. And MKs from Shas have spoken in opposition to it for their own reasons.

Litzman is upset about the ramifications the law might have for the Shabbos sirens, as we have already seen a complaint voiced in Arad for that very reason. Litzman claims that if the proposal can be reworded in a way that would clear the Shabbos sirens from any risk, he would pull his appeal. PM Netanyahu has reportedly called Litzman to request he withdraw his opposition to this law, and it seems it will be up to the Council of Torah Sages to decide how to respond.

Eichler is opposed to the law because he says it is an unnecessary provocation against billions of Muslims and could ignite the entire region.

An unnamed senior member of Shas has said that this law is unnecessary and the problem could be resolve dusing laws that are already on the books - it just needs enforcement. If they don't enforce the current law and just pass a new law that they also won't enforce, all that has been accomplished is attacking the honor of many citizens. Minister Aryeh Deri has said he supports the appeal against the proposal, but he has yet to actually sign on it.
sources: NRG, Kooker, Kikar

Regarding the issue of Shabbos, I do not see why this should be a problem. It should be easy enough to reword the law. They could easily limit the ban on the noise to either above a specific decibel level, along with banning it at certain hours - during the night and early morning hours but allowing it during the day.

It also makes me wonder how important the siren for Shabbos is that it has to become an issue. While it is nice to have a siren announcing the entry of Shabbos, and it has sources going way back to Temple times when trumpets were blown in a similar manner, how necessary is it really? Is there an obligation? Can't people simply use their own clocks and reminders? In many places around the world such sirens do not exist and the Jewish communities survive and thrive just fine without it. In some places it can even be annoying with multiple sirens crossing and blaring at uncoordinated times, making a real racket for those within earshot. Is the siren so important that it has to become an impediment?

Despite my question, I still see no reason that this should be overly complicated to reword so that the Shabbos sirens could continue, in some form or another. It seems the problems the muezzin sirens cause, waking people in the middle of the night and early morning hours, is far worse and this law should not just be dropped.







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