According to a Maariv report, “an average Israeli family” spent 12,000 NIS on food, travel, gasoline, hotels, gifts and family trips. This is twice the expenditure of a regular month. The report cites and average family spent 5,000 NIS on food, 4,500 NIS on travel abroad, 400 NIS on gasoline, 1,100 NIS for hotel/tzimmer in Israel, 600 NIS for holiday gifts and 500 NIS for day trips and purchases for the children. This amounts to 26 billion NIS collectively, the entire country.
The 16 days of vacation in Tishrei resulted in a loss of revenue for the nation amounting to 33 billion NIS. The amount of days includes Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, erev yomim tovim, chol hamoed. Four days for Rosh Hashanah, two Yom Kippur, and ten for Sukkos, as calculated by Maariv for the sake of the report.
The report does not include a formula to measure the gain from mitzvah observance and the positive aspect pertaining to spiritual observance of the yomim tovim and simcha achieved and experienced by those who observed the yomim tovim in line with halacha.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
It should be noted that the average spending of the average family of bnei torah, though it might also be double that of a regular month’s spending, is radically different.
Even those who travel abroad will not likely spend so much on food as they are going to be by parents.
And almost all of that is discretionary spending. The only thing one must spend on is the cost of six extra days of Shabbos-quality food. Even a Esrog is discretionary.
That means the entire amount spent, except for the extra hallah and some meat on yuntuf, was spent to honor and enjoy yuntuf. A sign of affluence and piety (even if many Israelis may be unaware of it).
HOGWASH #2, costs rise during Holiday season. There are purchases of additional food, clothes & shoes, yom tov sweets, and 4 minim.
“When in Greece do like the Greeks”– In vilna and radin families shared 4 minim, it is not the minhag to do that today. With a few sons, a tatty and other males the costs of religious items is quite high. In AMERICA and in Israel.
Should be 3 days for RH and 9 for sukkos.
Also, averages are a funny thing. No one spent 4500 to go abroad and also 1100 for a hotel in EY. In fact, no one spent 4500 to go abroad at all–that’s just the average between those who went abroad and spent a lot more than 4500, and those who stayed home.
Also, a lot of this spending is discretionary. If they’re suffering because they traveled abroad, or bought prime beef instead of chicken, it’s hard to empathize. The ones that deserve our help are those that live reasonably and still have trouble.
lets not be stupid, what is the average Israeli family?
all this is, is a compilation of estimated numbers divided by estimated families which generates something like 0.9 fathers 1.2 mothers, 2.3 children and 0.4 dogs and 0.27 foreign workers.
meaningless in terms of Torah observance…