Let them eat cake!

You might want to consider making challah this week for shabbos instead of relying on buying challah...

The major bakeries went on strike today. Not really a strike, though. After all, they opened the bakeries and produced bread and baked goods. They were striking from baking a specific product.

The price of basic bread is regulated in Israel. Fancy breads are not, and bakeries can charge whatever price they think people will pay for whole wheat bread, pumpernickly, Italian, whatever. Basic bread prices are regulated.

The bakeries claim the price of flour has gone up 12% recently and they can no longer afford to bake basic bread at the current price. They have requested that the government approve a price hike for basic bread.

The government, led by Eli Yishai as Minister of Inudustry and Trade with PM Olmert's agreement, said no. The price cannot be raised because too many poor people rely on bread as their staple food and cannot afford it at the new prices.

The bakeries said that it is not their job to subsidize the poor. They are a business and need to make profit. If the government can't continue to subsidize the price of bread, or increase the subsidy to the poor so they can afford the higher bread prices, they will simply stop making bread. They cannot afford to take such a loss on this product. They claim it would bankrupt them after two weeks.

The government said no and the bakeries said no. Today there was no basic bread in the stores. Tomorrow, they are saying, unless a solution is quickly reachd, there will not be basic challahs in the store. There will be more expensive challahs, but not the basic ones.

The Olmert government cannot even be relied on anymore to provide bread for its citizens. How can we rely on him to provide security?

Well, there is always cake.