Mar 31, 2016
The long weekend is back on the table
When Silvan Shalom was pushed to resign with a scandal and investigation brewing, I assumed that was the end of the movement to turn Sundays in Israel into a long weekend. While Silvan Shalom was not the first one to think of the idea, he was the main person in the Knesset that actually pushed it to the point where it was relatively close to being considered seriously. When he went away, I assumed this would too. I did not think it had enough gravitas on its own, he had not gotten it enough momentum to carry on without him, and nobody was spotted taking the gauntlet from him.
Sure enough, today we are greeted with surprising news..
MK Eli Cohen (Kulanu) has announced the initiative to turn Sundays into a vacation day, a long weekend. Not every Sunday, at least not initially, but once a month.
According to Cohen this would work in the following fashion. Each person would be granted an additional 12 vacation days above and beyond what he or she already gets. In exchange for those 12 days, the workday will be extended by an additional 15-20 minutes to make up that work time.
Cohen explains the importance of this to help improve the quality of life here and all the usual flexibility it will give to us - sports, tiyulim, time with family, religion, etc. And, it will knock Israel more into line with the long weekends found in much of the world.
Cohen says that while in the past the labor unions opposed the idea, they are now coming to an agreement and says the differences between them are small and it is possible that in 2017 this will already go into effect.
source: Channel 2 News
If this comes to be, part of the stipulation of those additional 12 vacation should be that they can only be used on Sundays once a month. Otherwise people will simply use them on their vacations to Europe or wherever and then the purpose will have been lost.
I know some employers are against the idea. Some say extending the workday is not beneficial, as the workday is already long and studies show efficiency goes down with that extra time, so the employers might get some more time out of their employees per day but that time will largely be wasted. I also suspect that they already benefit, often but not always, from employees who stay far longer than their required work hours, and rarely have to actually pay overtime (because of global contracts and the like), so adding 15 or 20 minutes to each day does nothing for them, as so many employees are already working at that time anyway, and one day a month will be deducted instead.
Personally I look forward to this coming to fruition.
Sure enough, today we are greeted with surprising news..
MK Eli Cohen (Kulanu) has announced the initiative to turn Sundays into a vacation day, a long weekend. Not every Sunday, at least not initially, but once a month.
According to Cohen this would work in the following fashion. Each person would be granted an additional 12 vacation days above and beyond what he or she already gets. In exchange for those 12 days, the workday will be extended by an additional 15-20 minutes to make up that work time.
Cohen explains the importance of this to help improve the quality of life here and all the usual flexibility it will give to us - sports, tiyulim, time with family, religion, etc. And, it will knock Israel more into line with the long weekends found in much of the world.
Cohen says that while in the past the labor unions opposed the idea, they are now coming to an agreement and says the differences between them are small and it is possible that in 2017 this will already go into effect.
source: Channel 2 News
If this comes to be, part of the stipulation of those additional 12 vacation should be that they can only be used on Sundays once a month. Otherwise people will simply use them on their vacations to Europe or wherever and then the purpose will have been lost.
I know some employers are against the idea. Some say extending the workday is not beneficial, as the workday is already long and studies show efficiency goes down with that extra time, so the employers might get some more time out of their employees per day but that time will largely be wasted. I also suspect that they already benefit, often but not always, from employees who stay far longer than their required work hours, and rarely have to actually pay overtime (because of global contracts and the like), so adding 15 or 20 minutes to each day does nothing for them, as so many employees are already working at that time anyway, and one day a month will be deducted instead.
Personally I look forward to this coming to fruition.
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Very bad idea. To make Sunday as part of a long weekend like there is in the galut is not proper for EY becaue the state has become very global in its outlook and there is missionizing, etc. If this becomes a reality, then those (and there are too many) who are completely unaffiliated and ill informed Jews who could actually start to associate and think that Sunday is also a religious holiday, chas v'chalilah. This is a terrible idea and should never be implemented. If another day is needed to accomplish weekly tasks, just make any other day of the week as a day off (Mon.,Tues.,Weds.).
ReplyDeleteThat's silly. Nobody in the USA thinks that Sunday is a religious holiday. It's just one of the days off each week. Besides, if that's your issue, then you should have the same issue with Friday being off - people might think it's a religious holiday - gevalt!
DeleteIMO, many Jews in the galut definitely think that there is something 'religious' about Sunday being part of the weekend, instead of here in 'real' Judaism when we know that Sun is the first day of the week, the first day of the week to get cracking at doing Hashem's will, and not to 'waste it' on just a lazy day of leisure and shopping.
DeleteMaking sunday as part of the weekend's day off is a horrendous mistake in Eretz Yisrael. It can, chas v'sholom, give the impression that it is a 'religious' day off, as it is in the galut. The problem with assimilation and missionizing, etc. is bad enough. For those who are distant to Torah and the whole reason for Jews living in our Land, this would be a terrible mistake and should never be implemented. Any other day of the week is a good day to take off to be able to catch up with whatever people need to do, but not on Sundays.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the above. I dont see anybody in Israel as a threat to possibly consider sunday a religious holiday. from a business perspective it lines up with global economy.
ReplyDeleteand it gives people a long weekend.
but i am fine with a different day as well.
I think it would be great! I think all the religious parties should push for it.
ReplyDeleteDon't you realize how here in the states, stuff I can't do Shabbos I take care of Sundays.
When Yom Tov overlaps with weekends it always kills us. No time for shopping, sports, recreation, going out with family.
Perhaps it would even minimize chilul shabbos in Israel.
How do you continuously tell chilonim that on shabbos.....NO Stadiums, No Theatre etc.
When should the go? You don't give them any day! Every other day of the week is a work day!
I don't see how this will work. If everyone (including the kids in school) gets off the same Sunday each month then traffic will be horrendous (think Chol Hamoed traffic) and everyone will complain. If 1/4 of the population take off every 4th Sunday (or so) then how will their kids also have off that day? It's impossible because their class is made up of kids from all sorts of families.
ReplyDeleteaccording to the article it is at this point still unclear if the education system will be involved in this as well and in what way.
Deleteit doesn't have to be a day for major tiyulim (though it could be). I am thinking local errands, a lazy day, the beach, some recreational activities, sports, etc. In the USA the Jewish schools have school half day and that seems to work. Here most kids (in grade school) have only half day school every day anyway (at least until the higher grades), so maybe Sundays could become half day school!
Not every day school in the USA has school on Sundays! For example, none of my kids have ever had school on Sunday's (except certain rare chessed events, etc). When I went to high school, we had school (just shiur) on Sundays and off on Fridays.
DeleteIn any case, if it truly is meant as a "family day", then it ought to include the whole family :-)
Like you Rafi, I'm certain that workers are already putting in way more than 15 minutes a day after their official work time. My department whatsapp group is busy with work stuff till about 10pm most nights.
ReplyDeleteOccasional long weekends would be a wonderful and welcome change, I'm sure that the sports and entertainment and tourist sector will all benefit along with the general population.
Quite disappointing to read the selfish and unJewish comments in regards to Sundays being a weekly day off, as is in the galut. To the above commenter who wrote that Sundays are not considered religious days off, how wrong you are. The reason Sunday was initially given off (long before Saturdays were) was because it is the Xtian sabbath. In fact, up until today there are certain communities where they have 'blue' laws which restrict businesses from operating on their Sabbath which is Sunday.
ReplyDeleteIsrael has become too much like a mini USA and that is leading down a slippery slope. Copying the nations should be a no-no for Israel, especially when it has already become so Westernized. There are other days of the week which can be a day off for whatever one wants to do.
Make no mistake about it, Sundays is and was the Xtian sabbath and that is the reason it was always the day off. Only in the last 70 years (+/-) Saturdays were regular working days in the non-Jewish world. chaim
Adding 15-20 min a day is totally unrealistic. Everyone knows that the last part of the day is not productive and not this extra time will just be an extra 15-20 of looking at the clock.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of an extended weekend sometimes and it seems that MK Cohen read my suggestion that was exclusive to LifeInIsrael many months ago. BUT I do not see a reason for 12 'vacation days, especially since some of these days will be in months when we already have holidays, but rather these Sun days should become civil 'bank holidays' which will add a certain historical value.