wrote in message

On Mon, 3 Oct 2011 11:02:31 +0100
"GT" wrote:
This is silly - removing the button doesn't help them to avoid
breaking their law: The religious law prohibits them from using
electricity or operating machinery on the Sabbath. What exactly do
they think the green man is powered by?!!

Good point, I hadn't thought of that!

I think they're not supposed to *cause* work to be done, but can take
advantage of things that are happening anyway.

For example, I was once in a hotel in Jerusalem and on a Friday night,
headed for the lift to go down to the lobby. I noticed a crowd of people
waiting by another lift, but once I hit the button, they were happy to
join me in 'my' lift. Apparently, one lift runs an all-floors stopping
service on the Shabbat, but the others work normally. If a non-Jew like
me pressed the button for one of those lifts, they had no trouble taking
advantage of it. Apparently it's OK for non-Jews to cause work to be
done that benefits Jews, but not for those same Jews to cause it.

Similarly, there was a card in the room which let you tell them if you
wanted the room light left on -- it was apparently OK for the orthodox
guests to take advantage of electric light, but not to switch it on
during the Shabbat itself. There are several other strange examples like
that in Jerusalem.

It's worth pointing out that even in Israel, only a minority of Jewish
citizens take their religion to these extreme lengths. But the
extremists are very intolerant. They block the streets in their areas to
stop anyone else driving through on the Shabbat, and I was told they are
liable to chuck stones at cars that attempt to get in. They take a
particularly dim view of other Jews breaking this rule -- they don't
care what gentiles do.