Rami Levy's Cellphone Company Going Shomer Shabbat

Rami Levy Tikshoret (Communications) will soon be the first cellphone company in Israel whose service center will become completely Sabbath observant, with no Jewish employee working on the day of rest, according to a report in b'Hadarei Haredim.

The step is expected to help the company make further inroads into the ultra-Orthodox community.

Due to regulations, cellphone companies in Israel must provide 24/7 service in case of lost or stolen phones so the phones can be deactivated. In order to deal with that obstacle, Rami Levy will hire only non-Jews to man that department on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.

The company hopes that the other cellular companies in Israel will follow his lead, once he proves that it's possible to run a cellphone company this way.

Rami Levys Communications is a virtual network that subleases infrastructure from Pelephone. As a result, the cellphones themselves will continue to work as usual, while only the customer service centers will be closed.

Rami Levy Tikshoret is a subsidiary of Rami Levy Shivuk HaShikma, a popular low-cost supermarket chain in Israel.