Due to continuing violence in Lod, local Rabbi Chaim Shmila has instructed Jewish residents to carry their phones on Shabbat, document the riots and use WhatsApp in order to help spread information about the situation in the city.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
In a Whatsapp message he sent to his community members, Shmila explained that the current situation put lives in danger, and protecting those lives was of supreme value, and therefore an act that is forbidden according to traditional Shabbat observance was no longer forbidden.
The rabbi instructed members of the congregation to contact the police if they encountered any threatening behavior, such as burning trash bins, throwing stones, Molotov cocktails, or using weapons, or if they were concerned that a rioting mob was beginning to gather.
Shmila made sure to let members know that one is only allowed to document riots if it did not put one's own life in danger.
