Jerusalem Movie Multiplex Closes on Friday Nights
Hundreds of demonstrators protested a new Jerusalem movie complex, that will be closed on Shabbat.
The new Cinema City complex, with 15 movie theaters and some 50 restaurants and shops, opened for the first time Tuesday night in central Jerusalem.
The building permit issued in 2010 to the construction company included a stipulation from the Jerusalem municipality and the Finance Ministry that the complex remain closed on Shabbat. The complex was built on government property.
There are several private movie theaters in the city that remain open during Shabbat.
Other attractions near the movie theater are open on Shabbat, including the Israel Museum and the Science Museum.
Israel’s Supreme Court is scheduled to respond to a petition next month that asks the court if the cinema complex can operate on the Sabbath.
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