The Beth Din of South Africa, highest rabbinical court in the country, has taken a hand in the controversy over the scheduled playing of soccer games on the Sabbath in this country by an Israeli team which is due to arrive soon.
The Beth Din expressed concern that playing of matches would lead to “wholesale” desecration of the Sabbath if many Jews flocked to see the Israeli team play on that day. The court noted that the Israeli team was scheduled to play week-day matches in the major cities of Soith Africa and appealed to Jews to attend these matches, rather than those played on the Sabbath.
Earlier, Orthodox Chief Rabbi I. Rabinowitz expressed the opinion that playing on the Sabbath involved no violation of Jewish tradition or religious law.
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