The government also has broken the Haredi monopoly on approving marriages, allowing couples to have easier access to modern Orthodox rabbis.
The sight of thousands of people flocking to a movie theatre on the Sabbath might push the Haredi community beyond all limits. One rabbi already has threatened to burn down Cinema City if it opens on the Sabbath.
The owners of Cinema City actually are not anxious to open the theatres on the Sabbath, even if the court allows it, but the owners could be forced to do so if competitors jump at an opportunity to attract non-Jews and non-observant Jews.
The issue is not a black and white of a battle between secular and religious communities. A large percentage of “non-religious” Israelis don’t observe the Sabbath in private but prefer to keep tradition in public.
Cinema City includes a cultural center and an activity center based on Biblical themes.
The question is, if it opens for the Sabbath, is there a synagogue?
