Power outages disrupt Chareidi cities during Shabbos preparations

Thousands of Chareidi families in Modiin Illit, Bnei Brak, and Rechasim experienced significant power outages during the critical preparation hours for Shabbos. The disruptions occurred amid intense summer heat, leaving many residents without air conditioning and unable to complete essential cooking for the Sabbath.

In Modiin Illit, some neighborhoods saw electricity restored only 30 minutes before Shabbos began, while other areas remained without power for an hour after the start of the Sabbath. Residents expressed frustration, noting that the outages prevented the preparation of traditional meals like cholent. This follows a pattern of recent electrical failures in Modiin Illit, including similar widespread outages the previous week.

Meir Spiegler, CEO of the Israel Electric Corporation, attributed part of the instability in Modiin Illit to unauthorized apartment subdivisions and private electrical connections. He stated that these additions place demands on the network that exceed its original design capacity.