The following is a Ynet report:
The movement against moving the clocks back to Standard Time is gaining momentum, but former senior officials in the political establishment do not believe it will bring about change, despite the tens of thousands already signed on a petition against it. Within mere days, 90,000 secular Israelis put their signature on a petition against switching over to Standard Time.
“You can write petitions, but this isn’t how problems are solved,” said former Interior Minister Avraham Poraz (Shinui) said to Ynet on Saturday.
Despite the impressive numbers, Poraz, himself opposed to winter time, is convinced the move won’t yield results. “It is in the hands of the Knesset members. As long as the secular public doesn’t have a political party representing it, it won’t see any achievements.”
The petition’s authors claim that Standard Time, which will be instated this year earlier than usual in the year, shortens quality time parents spend with their children, increases the chances of traffic accidents, and costs the economy hundreds of millions of shekels.
“The absurd thing is that it’s possible to make the prayer on Yom Kippur an hour later,” claimed Poraz. “The fast is the same fast. It doesn’t matter. This is part of haredi abuse of the secular public. Only secular representation in the Knesset prepared to fight for this will result in achievements.”
Attorney Yizhar Hess, executive director and CEO of the Masorti Movement in Israel, claimed, “It is hard to think of an issue that makes the haredi public in Israel seem more ridiculous than the issue of Daylight Saving Time. We will not end the summer by force even if we imprison the cuckoo in the clock and force it to cover its hair.”
“Using Yom Kippur as an excuse is nothing more than a fig leaf,” claimed Hess. “One of the reasons is fasters for the start of the fast and the end of the fast to be delayed by an hour. This is a mistake, perhaps even malice, on the part of the haredi leadership that is dragging the public it leads into a pointless struggle most of the haredi street would forego. They, too, would enjoy another hour of daylight that spares bloodshed.”
(Read More: Ynet)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
18 Responses
The issue isn’t so much Yom Kippur which is the same length either way (maybe has a psychological effect).
But eventually Netz will be too late to Daven properly and get to work on time – though that wouldn’t particularly be a Chareidi concern, as it only affects working Chareidim who are still considered outside the pale.
What they do not realize is that the Haredim want this for our secular bretheran. The religous people will keep the whole fast no matter how long it is by day. Majority of the secular jews in Israel do fast on Yom Kippur, In order to make it easier for them and more probable that they will fast the whole day the Haredim realized that changing the time before Yom Kippur will help.
Wait let me understand this. Setting the clock back shortens the fast? How about we set the clock no wait the calander ahead to the time of Moshiach and thus no more problems. Wish it could be that easy. BTW how much quality time we talking or is this an excuse? Can we use the same excuse in the USA? Maybe for Ahavas Yisroel they should leave the clock alone.
Globes reports that the Israeli economy saves 100 million shekels due to 170 days of daylight savings time (see http://archive.globes.co.il/searchgl/Manufacturers:%20Clock%20change%20saves%20NIS%20100m_h_hd_2L34oC38rD5mnC30mDJGuCp8nBcXqRMm0.html). That is just under 600,000nis per day. If daylight savings time were extended for 30 more days, that would mean a savings of 17 million shekels. That amount is insignificant compared to the entire Israeli economy (approximately 800 billion shekels in 2008), and it is certainly not “hundreds of millions of shekels” which is falsely quoted in the article.
Where in the entire, Shaas (Bavlu & Yirushalmeh), Medroshim, Sifrei HaG’onim, Rambam, Ramban, do we find a Heter to keep Rosh Hashana according to the time-zone of Chutz L’oretz, where we live??
It’s already the Yom Hadin, in E”Y, which is HKB”H’s Time-zone, and we’re still driving a car?
Does anyone know?
responder88: pls post intelligent comments on this site as comments like yours lower the status of this website
Tipical Israeli Media article. No qote at all from the other side. Even AP is better…
To #1
I don’t think that the issue is about the nets because if yes why are they talking about changing it back to day light saving time 2 days after yom kippur..
1. Would he object to it if the Hareidi leadership didn’t support it. There are good secular reasons for changing the clock as well.
2. WHy does the frum community favor switching early to standard time. It doesn’t reduce the number of hours for fasting, and it makes for a more hectic erev yuntuf (and erev Shabbos) especially for people who have to prepare for yuntuf (primarily housewives) and people working for non-yeshiva businesses including all retailers(who typically work on Friday).
Rather than bash religious Jews, think about whether Daylight Saving Time really “saves” anything. Tufts University professor Michael Downing has written a book on this topic. See his website http://www.michaeldowningbooks.com/downing-books-spring.htm
Or see his blog post here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-downing/daylight-saving-beat-the_b_497851.html
An excerpt: “That’s the point of daylight saving — to pretend you’re beating the clock and besting nature while you sit on a still-sunny beach at 8:00 p.m. in the middle of July. Even though you sort of know it’s actually only 7:00 p.m.”
Poraz is right! The fast is indeed the same length whether daylight or standard time. Halachic time is unaffected. Why are we fighting this?
I am completely amazed at the lack of both knowledge and sense of some of those commenting here! 1- it’s obvious that halachik time does change through the changing of the clock. Instead of the fast starting at (ex.) 7 o’clock, it will now start at 8. This has nothing to do with the callender but the fact that the time is changed. 2- It’s also obvious that starting the fast later does help one fast as the day isn’t so long even though the hours are the same. 3-as a side point, it has been shown time and time again that almost %90 of Israelis fast on Yom Kippur, so why blame the Chareidim?
#5 – Please don’t publicize your extreme ignorance and utter lack of intelligence. BTW, its called Yerushalmi.
The is one of the few issues with which I happen to agree with chareidim.
Fasting is extremely difficult for me, and I believe it would be easier psychologically if Yom Kippur ended an hour earlier even though I am still fasting the exact same number of hours.
Btw, #5, what in world are you talking about? “keep RH according to the time zone of chutz la’aretz”…..Huh????
According to your logic, we should start every Shabbos here 7 hours earlier too…..
Hey #5 Dopus You mean we should start RH when they start. When its 7:00pm with them its 12:00 noon with us.Bjick!!!!!!!
I have never heard of chareidim plugging this issue, pushing to move the clock back. For yeshivish minyanim that are makpid on z’manei tefilla, if the clock is moved back an hour, shacharis starts an hour earlier and neila then ends an hour earlier – the exact same number of waking hours. For people davening in these minyanim, there is no personal benefit as far as Yom Kippur is concerned. For someone who will wake up later, it would feel shorter. Starting the fast an hour earlier the previous evening doesn’t make much of a difference, but fewer waking hours the next day can make it that much easier.
#16 is correct; this issue did not originate with the chareidim, nor was it pushed by chareidim. We don’t much care either way. It was the traditional Jews who do fast but wouldn’t change their “zmanei tefilla” to make up for the missing hour of daylight who championed this, thinking that they would get a psychological reprieve of an hour if the clock were moved before Yom Kippur. The chareidim were never involved in this issue.
To #13, 14 & 15
Instead of name-calling, please bring a M’kor that we have a right to use our own Time-Zone, and keep Shabbos and Yom Tov during certain hours, when it is not Shabbos in E”Y (and for HKB”H).
For the seasons of the Sholosh Regolim, we use the seasons of E”Y, even if one lives below the Equator.
For Makas Bechoros, at Chatzohs, Hashem used the time-zone of E”Y, eventhough it took place in Mitzraim.