THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Daylight Time Issue in Israel
Turned Into a Political Football
By MYRA NOVECK
•••
World Zionist Press Service
JERUSALEM — Israelis
had about six weeks this
year to learn about Summer
Time, or Daylight Savings
Time, which went into effect
on Aug. 2 for a period of just
42 days.
Israelis started learning
to take advantage of the
o, oler morning hours. Reli-
us Jews could be seen
aking tefilin to work to
pray in a minyan close to
work, since the later sunrise
prevented some from being
able to attend their regular
minyan before work.
Stall owners in open air
food markets found them-
selves staying open later to
accommodate those taking
advantage of the extra
hour of sunlight. On
Saturday night, the later
ending to Shabat persuaded
some movie theaters to can-
cel their early show while
others which opened before
Sabbath's end incurred the
wrath of the religious ele-
ments.
But why did all these
changes in Israeli life
style begin only on Aug.
2, three months after the
beginning of American
Daylight Savings Time?
It wouldn't have started
at all if not for the efforts
of a private citizen,
engineer Zeev Segal, who
took the Interior Ministry
to court, out of his own
pocket, over the issue of
Summer Time.
An energy conservation
specialist, Segal had
suggested reinstating
Summer Time annually
since it had been discontin-
ued after the summer of
1975.
"Every year I was told
either that it was under
consideration or that it was
not under consideration be-
cause the savings were not
that great. In 1976, Dr.
Joseph Burg appointed a
committee of technical
people which found that
energy savings would be
small and that people would
use more gas by extra
traveling after work. They
also said there was no proof
that productivity would in-
crease.
l
"This is completely con-
tradicted by the present
condition. The Israel Pro-
ductivity Council made a
study which found that by
starting work an hour ear-
lier (taking advantage of
the cooler morning hours)
the gross national income
would be improved by one
percent. In 1980 that is five
to six billion Israel pounds)
$95-$115 million). This is a
terrific amount."
All this is in addition' to
the electricity saved simply
by turning on lights an hour
later.
Segal knew of a lay ,
from the Mandatory
period decreeing Sum..
mer Time. "It was mod-
ified and signed by Ben-
Gurion and in the first
years of the state we had
two hours Summer
Time," he said.
Summer Time was dis-
continued after about 10
years and did not return
until the summer of 1974.
their businesses on
standard time. Knesset
members Rabbi Yehuda
Meir Abromowitz of
Agudat Yisrael and Kal-
man Kahana of Poelei
Agudat Yisrael have
submitted private mem-
bers' bills to amend the
law.
Aside from the religious
issue, one wonders if there
isn't some good old fashion
bureaucratic slothfulness
behind it all. A senior offi-
cial in the Interior Ministry
told this reporter that the
ministry wasn't even con-
sidering when Summer
Time would start next year.
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The Summer Time is also
seen as a religious issue. Be-
fore the court decision, the
Council of the Chief Rabbi-
nate sent a message to
Prime Minister Menahem
Begin opposing Summer
Time because the later end
to the Sabbath would result
in its widespread desecra-
tion. According to the gen-
eral secretary of the Coun-
cil, religious Jews would
keep the Sabbath in any
case but what was in danger
was the "public Sabbath,
the Sabbath of the state."
In addition, he added
there was the problem of
workers who have to be at
factories at 6 a.m. and
would not be able to pray in
a minyan before leaving for
work. Admitting that the
same problem exists in
mid-winter the Secretary
General called the winter
problem "less severe."
Since Segal's court vic-
tory, the ultra-Orthodox
community in Jerusalem
commanded adherents to
defy Summer Time al-
together, not to change
the time on their watches
and clocks and to run
VANTAGE w.
ULTRA
Rothschild Office in Israel
Will Move to Jerusalem
JERUSALEM — The
Rothschild philanthropic
enterprises in Israel have
announced plans to move
their offices from Tel Aviv
to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Mayor Teddy
Kollek announced that the
offices will include an ex-
hibition area displaying the
Rothschilds' contributions
to the development of Israel
during the past century.
Meanwhile, a Rothschild
family squabble over the
use of the Rothschild name
appears to have ended.
Jacob Rothschild of
England has announced
that he is resigning from
the board of Rothschilds
Continuation Ltd., the
Friday, October 10, 1980 7
holding company for the
family's merchant bank.
He said he would also
change the name of
Rothschild Investment
Trust to RIT.
Sources say the dispute
is between Jacob and Eve-
lyn de Rothschild of France
over business philosophy.
The British Rothschilds
recently offered to contrib-
ute $500,000 towards Hai-
fa's Rothschild Hospital on
the condition that the hospi-
tal would change its name.
The land for the hospital
was donated in 1922 by the
French Rothschilds and was
given in perpetuity.
To know how to dissemble
is the knowledge of kings.
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