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July 15, 1983 - Image 21

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1983-07-15

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

By SIMON GRIVER

-

JERUSALEM — Accord-
ing to Genesis, God spent
six days creating the uni-
verse and rested on the
seventh. This is the work
pattern followed in modern
Israel. Perhaps paradoxi-
cally, it is the religious
political parties that are
among the leading advo-
cates of a change-over to a
five-day week.
The fact that most Is-
raelis still work six days
seems surprising to some
observers, considering that
all the industrialized West
and most of Eastern Europe
have a five-day work week,
while same are even dis-
cussing a four-day week.
The enigma becomes the
more mysterious because
experts like Zvi Yogev, so-
cial researcher at the Insti-
tute of Productivity in Tel
Aviv, who have carried out
extensive studies on the
subject, assert that every-
body would gain and almost
nobody lose by a shortened
week.
At the moment, Israelis
work an assortment of
hours. The hardy
kibutzniks are renowned
for rising at the crack of
dawn and working into
the afternoon six-days-
a-week and often more
during harvest time.
Most bank and shop em-
ployees have a split day,
resting during the tradi-
tional "siesta" hours
from 1 to 4. Those in-
volved in the tourist in-
dustry must work all
manner of hours.
But by far the largest por-
tion of the country's work
force is employed in fac-
tories and offices, working
an average of 45 hours a
week, starting Sunday
morning and finishing at 1
p.m. on Friday.
Yet something of a silent
revolution has been going
on in industry, which is
rapidly becoming a five-day
operation. More than a
third of Israel's industry has
now changed over and in
some sectors, like elec-
tronics, more than 90 per-
cent of companies have a
Sunday to Thursday week.

In such cases, it is usual to
work a nine-hour day.
"Within five years, and
certainly 10," says Yogev,
"all of Israel will revolve
around a five-day week. It is
unlikely that there will be
legislation but the market
forces are irresistible. Fac-
tories that operate around
the clock must calculate on
three eight-hour shifts. Ef-
ficiency is raised, costs are
reduced and employees'
lives become more comfort-
able.
"Newspapers are full of
advertisements for job
opportunities offering a
five-day week as a major
inducement," he says.
In fact, Yogev's research,
gleaned from 20 factories
that have recently under-
gone the transition to a
shortened week, showed
that one-third of employees
were initially opposed to the
new schedule, although
most of them later reversed
their opinion.
Yogev's data shows that a
longer day neither exhausts
employees nor interferes
with their evening activi-
ties and hobbies. Surpris-
ingly, while Israelis are
'well known for spending
their Shabat on the beach,
or at beauty spots, only 10
percent use their free Fri-
days for trips. Most do
household chores, their
shopping and banking.
Of single people, 30 per-
cent take trips, although
the majority go to visit their
family. Even religious
people, who cannot take
trips on Shabat, do not take
long car rides on Friday.
Only five percent of those
with free Fridays have
taken extra jobs.
Even if the companies
themselves make sig-
nificant savings by shut-
ting the factory down for
an extra day and consid-
erably increase their effi-
ciency, the Manufactur-
ers' Association, repre-
senting the nation's
industrialists, claims the
economy can't afford the
changeover and has
come out vehemently
against the suggestion.
Neither is it easy to see
the kibutzim making the

Former Detroiter to Direct
Disney Feature Tiger Town'

Former Detroiter Alan
Shapiro will - turn his boy-
hood love affair with the De-
troit Tigers into a movie for
cable television to be aired
by the Disney Channel this
fall.
Disney has signed Shap-
iro, 25, to direct ''Tiger
Town," the story of a young
baseball fan's devotion to
his hometown team and its
aging star outfielder. Shap-
iro developed the idea and
wrote the screenplay for
"Tiger Town."
Justin Henry, who was
nominated for an Academy
Award for his work in the
movie "Kramer vs.
Kramer," will play the part
of the boy and Roy Scheider
has been signed for the out-
fielder's role, which is

loosely based on former
Tiger Al Kaline.
Shapiro, who lived in
the Detroit area until he
was 15, is a graduate of
the film school at New
York University and now
lives in Los Angeles. He
worked for two years as a
writer-director in a
Warner Brothers de-
velopment program be-
fore being signed by Dis-
ney as a screenwriter. He
has also completed the
screenplay for a theatri-
cal feature on divorce as
seen through a child's
eyes.
"Tiger Town" will be
filmed on location in Detroit
this summer and aired dur-
ing the World Series in Oc-
tober.

change.
Some commentators say
that the Manufacturers'
Associations' opposition is
simply a bargaining post-
ure, for the Histadrut Trade
Union Feder'ation has
linked the demand for a
five-day week with a reduc-
tion in the hours worked
from 45 to 40.
Legislation on the ques-
tion is unlikely because
both the major parties,
Likud and Labor, although
supporting the shorter
week, have never taken the
subject sufficiently seri-
ously. But the religious par-
ties, NRP and Agudat Yis-
rael, are eager for a change
so that Jews can better pre-
pare for Shabat and utilize
the long weekend to main-
tain the sanctity of the
Shabat.
Moslems too are eager for
the change as Friday is
their Sabbath. As a minor-
ity, many of them end up
working although they
would prefer not to, rather

B'HAM - SOUTHFIELD - TROY
Phone

as some traditional Jews in
the Diaspora would like not
to work on Saturday, but do
so for financial convenience.

Book on Kashrut

NEW YORK — The joys
and problems of keeping
kosher in today's world are
discussed in a new book on
kashrut just published by
United Synagogue Youth.
"The JeWish Dietary
Laws: Sanctify Life" by
Rabbi James M. Lebeau
examines the philosophical
and theological underpin-
nings of kashrut as well as
the- practical aspects of
keeping kosher.
For information on the
180-page softcover book,
write United Synagogue
Youth Publications, 155
Fifth Ave., New York
10010. There is a charge.

21

"TOM'S SERVICE COMPANY"

Israel Moves Toward 5-Day Week

World Zionist Press Service

Friday, July 15, 1983

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