UK: Kosher food stall refused spot at Christmas market over Shabbat

M/S Kosher restaurant 'Ta'am Grill', Manchester
W/S Kosher restaurant 'Ta'am Grill' *NO AUDIO AT SOURCE*
M/S Co-owner of Ta'am restaurant Martine Vaizman *NO AUDIO AT SOURCE*
SOT, Martine Vaizman, co-owner of Ta'am restaurant: "I had the chance to appear at the Christmas markets and the council cancelled my stand because they feel that I should be open seven days a week and it's not something that I'm able really to commit to because of religious reasons. Jews can't work over the Sabbath, which comes out Friday night and goes out Saturday night. And consequently, it means that we're going to miss out on something that we've really wanted to do for a long time because of our religious beliefs."
M/S Inside of Ta'am restaurant *CUTAWAY* *NO AUDIO AT SOURCE*
SOT, Martine Vaizman, co-owner of Ta'am restaurant: "We would very much liked to have been there but the council just doesn't feel that it can budge on the restrictions that are in place, that enforce us as traders to stay open seven days a week. We were hoping that we could have offered them two options. One would have been to close over the Sabbath, so we could have opened Friday until lunch time and then reopened Saturday once the Sabbath had gone out, but they wouldn't allow us to do that. I also offered them the opportunity for us to, for them to work with by us subletting the business to one of our employees, Imran, and that would have basically meant that we sold the business to him over the Sabbath, and it meant that we would have been able to fulfil our obligations with them that way. They just, they're not having it and it really is a shame because the Jewish community here in Manchester has not got one single Kosher establishment to eat at in the city centre and there's a lot of Jewish people here, and we were very much looking forward to feeling a part of something and finally having some city centre presence."
M/S Inside of Ta'am restaurant *NO AUDIO AT SOURCE*
M/S Inside of Ta'am restaurant *NO AUDIO AT SOURCE*
SOT, Martine Vaizman, co-owner of Ta'am restaurant: "I am very disappointed, really disappointed not to be able to do the market because we told people about it, and the community was very excited about it, looking forward to finally being able to go into the city centre, go to do some activities, enjoy the festive season. Whilst it's not our holiday, we feel it you know, it's something, the atmosphere changes and we wanted to feel a part of something and we can't be now, so it really is a shame."
M/S Inside of Ta'am restaurant *NO AUDIO AT SOURCE*
M/S Christmas market
C/U Christmas market
M/S Christmas market
M/S Christmas market
M/S Christmas market
SCRIPT
A Kosher restaurant in Manchester was refused a stall the city's Christmas market because the owners refused to work during Shabbat.
"It really is a shame, because the Jewish community here in Manchester has not got one single Kosher establishment to eat at in the city centre," Martine Vaizman said in an interview recorded at her restaurant Ta'am on Tuesday.
Manchester city council said vendors at the market had to stay open for the duration of the festive period.
Despite offering to sublet the stand to one of her employees on Fridays and Saturdays, Vaizman said the council is "not having it."
Vaizman complained that the decision prevented Manchester's observant Jewish population from partaking in the event.
A spokesperson for the council reportedly said the two-day closure of the stall would be "detrimental" to the wider market.