Will the fight over Daylight Savings Time, and turning it into a religious issue, finally be over? Unlikely, though we might get a brief respite.
The Knesset approved yesterday the final readings of the new law extending DST. From now on the clock will only be changed, moving off of DST, on the first Sunday after October 1. This will increase DST to about 193 days of the year, up from about the 182 days it has been in recent years. It also pretty much ensures that Yom Kippur will always fall out while the clocks are on DST, thus concluding the fast in the range of 7:00-7:30 PM instead of 6:00-6:30 PM.
I doubt we have heard the end of it, but I imagine after this victory they won't fight about it for the first year or two. Though within a couple of years I expect the issue will be raised, and fought about, again. Just like the last time the law was changed - it afforded a few years of quiet, and then the fights returned to extend it further.
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All DST everywhere should be abolished forever.
ReplyDeleteIt should certainly be abolished in Israel, where the last thing we need is more sun.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I think you mean the fast will end around 7:00-7:30 with DST. It already ends just after 6.
you are correct. I remembered it applying DST backwards. the fast ended in the area of 6:07 this year, and that was with DST already removed...
ReplyDeleteDon't think I understand the objection to DST. What's the matter with coming home from work with some daylight left, or having a longer Friday, which for many of us is the only time to really do anything like tiyulim, shopping, etc.?
ReplyDeleteIt's unbearably hot out for more of the day.
DeleteIt's nice to daven Shacharis during daylight.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the most important thing about settling upon a set date range for DST is the stability.
ReplyDeleteWhen the political parties are fighting over DST and the start or finish date can get changed just a few weeks before it should take effect, it is difficult for the citizens (especially Shul Gabbais) to plan events which need to take sunset (or sunrise) time into account.
So I am not happy with a NEW compromise about DST, which, as Rafi comments, will probably be renegotiated in another few years (I had thought that the previous compromise was the "final" agreement that would leave everyone in peace for the course of their lifetimes!).
What we need is an agreement to set the start and end dates of DST and leave them without change for at least 30 years. The exact dates do NOT matter as much as the creation of some real stability; and I hope that our politicians will figure this out one day soon!
Catriel is correct but i would take it further. i also remember the fighting (yearly) over DST, how every year it would be matter of coalition talks. more than an argument over DST, this whole scene was symptomatic of how israel was (is?) unable to engage in anything resembling long term planning.
DeleteI would think, that it would be a great sacrifice, that would be looked on very kindly in the Heavenly Court, if we have to fast the extra hour. It isn't really an extra hour, but it seems like it, as we will only break the fast about 19:00 instead of 18:00. On the other hand Kol Nidrei will be around 6 instead of 5, and nothing is stopped the Shuls starting Shacharit an hour later, at 8 instead of 7
ReplyDelete