Kiddush Hashem: Shabbos Revolution Taking Place At Amusement Parks And Attractions

With the summer months here and the school year coming to an end, many families are making their way to amusement parks and attractions across Israel. The many vacationers are waking up to a new realty, a new era is dawning, more and more amusement parks and attractions are choosing to stay closed on Shabbos.

In the past it was difficult to find an attraction which remained closed on Shabbos, today the tide has turned and the opposite is true; more and more attractions do not operate on Shabbos.

Many reasons can be attributed to this new phenomenon, obviously more people becoming observant is definitely a factor, but what seems to be causing the positive change is economic reasons.

Places that stay closed on Shabbos report a tremendous Bracha in their business. Despite the business staying closed for Shabbos and losing a day of business- business owners report that the profits have sky rocketed.

As well, business owners claim that they get more visitors from the Dati and Chareidi communities, whom many inquire if the place is closed on Shabbos before visiting.

Yaron and Liraz Mark, a couple who owns a boating business in ‘Park Indi’ in northern Israel, say that since they took upon themselves to close on Shabbos, they saw “the visitors and profits double and triple”.

As well, “we merited a husband and Father anew” says Liraz happily, referring to the quality time the family has been enjoying on Shabbos since they decided to close the business on Shabbos.

“In past years when we would work on Shabbos we would operate with about an average of 150-200 people a day, and now I am talking about an average of 1,500 people a day”, says Yaron.

Binyamin Halevi Ben-Ohr who owns ‘Park Extreme’ in Acco told ‘Aruts 2’ that “although I closed the park on Shabbos two months ago, the effects from the Chareidi and Dati communities are immediate. We feel it from the responses and also from the cashiers”.
The reality that businesses are realizing and waking up to the Bracha of Shabbos, together with the years of many people refraining form enjoying the none shomer Shabbos attractions, has indeed stirred the demographics and changed the Shabbos landscape for the better.

Translated by Eli B.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!