Imagine if sunrise was at 8 or 9 AM? How would that affect the daily minyanim in your shul? And how would it affect the ability of Orthodox Jews to get to work or school on time when davening times are so late?

If Daylight Saving Time (DST) were made permanent that would be the case for many Jewish communities across the United States.

As we “spring forward” tonight it is important to know how the implications of permanent DST are.

Perhaps the biggest problem for the Jewish community if DST were made permanent would be the effect on tefillah. Sunrise in some places in the US would be after 9 am for weeks during the winter and after 8 am for much longer. Some shuls and cities would struggle to get a morning minyan and many men would struggle to be able to daven with a minyan and get to work at 9 AM.

Another problem with permanent DST is that it would cause many children to have to travel to school in the dark. In fact, in the 1970’s Congress repealed a law that had made DST permanent due to numerous reported incidents of children being injured as they traveled to school in the pitch-black streets.

In 1971 Harav Hagaon R’ Moshe Feinstein, zt’l, sent a teshuva to then-Agudath Israel President Rabbi Moshe Sherer, addressing the issue during an earlier legislative attempt to make DST permanent. Pointing out the difficulties regarding proper davening facing those who go to work, Rabbi Feinstein wrote that it is clear that we must fight against such a bill with every means of advocacy – and that it constitutes a “gezeirah mamash al hatefila lirai Hashem Yisborach.” “A real decree on prayer for those who fear G-d.””

In recent years there has been a push to make DST permanent and as in the past, Agudath Israel played a leading role in making known the unique and disruptive challenges permanent DST would present to the Orthodox Jewish community, thereby stunting its progress on Capitol Hill.

This past week President Trump was asked about permanent DST this was his response “It’s a 50/50 issue and if something is a 50/50 issue, it’s hard to get excited about it. I assume people would like to have more light later, but some people want to have more light earlier because they don’t want to take their kids to school in the dark… A lot of people like it one way. A lot of people like it the other way.”

Whatever happens, Agudath Israel will continue to meet with members of Congress and the Administration to explain our position and prevent DST from becoming permanent.