Daylight Saving Time was ended yesterday in sun-soaked Israel in another though minor dispute between Orthodox Jews, who said DST interfered with religious practices, and non-Orthodox Jews who want more daylight hours to enjoy the outdoors during the summer period.
Interior Minister Yosef Burg decided to end DST a month earlier than had been recommended so that the change would come before the school year starts. DST was started this year on an experimental basis after a lengthy legal battle and public debate. The extra hour of daylight was estimated by energy experts as having saved Israel’s inflation-ridden economy about $3 million on electricity alone.
Israel’s DST started on May 5, though in Europe it begins at the start of April and ends at the close of September. Burg’s main objection was that DST would cause desecration of the Sabbath and would be a problem for observant Jews in their morning prayers.
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