Iraqi missile attacks have wrought profound changes in the daily lives of Israelis.
Most workplaces close before sundown to allow their employees time to get home before dark. Orthodox women have been given permission by the rabbinical authorities to go to the mikveh (ritual bath) in daylight.
Many businesses have returned to a six-day work week, although a five-day week has been the norm in recent years. The purpose is to make up for the hours lost in the afternoon because employees leave early to try to beat the traffic jams home.
Inasmuch as the Scud missiles generally strike at night, the Israel Defense Force advised the public Wednesday to confine activities to daylight and stay indoors at night.
Transport Minister Moshe Katsav proposed that daylight-saving time be instituted in mid-winter for the duration of the emergency. By moving the clock ahead, an hour of daylight would be gained for work. If Katsav’s idea is endorsed by the government, dusk would fall at 6:30 p.m. instead of 5:30.
Normally, Israel goes on summer time in late spring and stays on it for about 160 days.
The emergency has changed the routine of strictly observant women. Several rabbis have ruled that they may go to the mikveh on or after the eighth day following the end of their menstrual period. Normally, they go on the night of the seventh day.
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