Israel's Yom Kippur-Based Daylight Savings Time Shows Religious-Secular Split

Today's Chicago Tribune reports that in Israel, decisions about the date on which daylight savings time ends reflects the broader debate over the role of religion in public life. Two years ago, in a compromise bill, Parliament set the end of daylight savings time as the Sunday before Yom Kippur. The move was taken so that sunset-- the time at which observant Jews can break their Yom Kippur fast-- will arrive an hour earlier. Yom Kippur begins this evening, so daylight savings time has ended in Israel-- well ahead of the time that it ends in Europe and the United States. Secular Jews in Israel, however, are complaining because they are deprived of the extra hour of light after work. They say this is an example of how the interests of Israel's religious minority are interfering with the lifestyle of the majority of the population who are secular Israeli Jews.