Apr 30, 2019

those who don't work cause others to lose their jobs

The Pinizia glass factory in Yerucham has been on the brink of closing for years. Every so oftne they announce the threat of closing and the government comes up with some program to bail them out and save the factory and a couple hundred jobs.

Pinizia is in the news again with an announcement that they are on the brink of closing. I don't know what the real cause is but the Gerrer chassidim are taking credit for it because they have a ban on the factory and won't buy their glass, including wine using bottles made in the Pinizia factory, due to the chilul shabbos in the functioning of the factory. The owners, in the past, have refused to close the factory on Shabbos. A senior director of the factory confirms that they have suffered tremendous losses because of the ban. The owners claim the factory is struggling now through a difficult period, but there is no imminent threat of the factory closing.

I guess time will tell how much damage this boycott does to the factory.
source: Kikar and Kikar and Calcalist and Ynet

Online people are taking this news report and pointing out the irony of a group of people who do not work being the cause of so many people who do work to lose their jobs. Not just online but the director of health services of the town of Yerucham as well said this.

To that I would say, first of all, this is a boycott by the Gerrer chassidim, not the entire haredi public (though some might follow along and it might or could easily take on a life of its own). It happens to be that among haredim in general and among chassidim in particular, the Gerrer sect of chassidim happen to commonly work much more than many of the other groups.

And, second of all, whether they work or do not, they are not obligated to buy their glass from any specific factory and have a right to support issues dear to them. They claim they were and are willing to work with the factory to come to a resolution and continue buying this glass, but Shabbos is dear to them and they do not want to make kiddush on Shabbos using wine bottled in bottles made with chilul shabbos. Just like other people won't support factories that have become sweatshops or use child labor and barely pay their employees or that destroy the rainforests or whatever. These people have the same right to choose to not support a factory that goes against their ideals and hurts what they consider dear to them. Irony aside, these people "who don't work" have no obligation, social or moral or legal, to buy from this specific factory.










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