A compromise was reached in the debate whether Israel should have a longer weekend and a shorter work week by giving Sundays off.
Those in favor see Sundays off as a way of improving the religious-secular divide, where the two main sectors of Israeli society can’t interact on the one real day off Israel has – the Shabbat. They also hope to increase worker productivity by better balancing work and family time, and reducing worker exhaustion.
Those who oppose it, see the loss of productivity and economic benefits that Israel gains from having a weekly jump start on the rest of the global market.
On Friday, many people work half-days, if at all.
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a draft that would provide six long weekends a year starting in 2017. The weekend would begin on Thursday evening and end on Monday morning, so it’s more of a long weekend bill than a Sundays off bill.
The number of school days won’t be affected by the law, a major concern by parents who feel there are too many school vacation days as it is.
Two of the long weekends will be during the summer, the remaining four will be deducted during the Pesach and Chanukah holiday season.
That coincides with the periods most people take vacations anyway, because schools are off, and families are forced to synchronize their work vacations around the school schedule.
It is expected that the bill will pass its preliminary reading in the Knesset.