Israel is one of the most inefficient producers of the modern worlds economies. How can we afford to work a short Friday ?

A 2.5 working week is not going to put off investors. Investors come because of skills in Israel not because of the hours of the working week. companies will naturally give us all kind of doomsday scenarios to avoid change but once the law is changed thy will accept it and change the way they operate. Sunday would be day off there would be no rule that says places must stay closed on Sundsy. People can still work overtime if the company wants to stay open & employee wants to work extra hours. Haredi are the minority of Shabbat observant observent Jews Saying we should not change because the Haredi are the only ones who want it is not a serious argument. People who are Shabbat observent are currently very limited in what they can do because Friday afternoon is Shabbat preparation. On Saturday unless they live near a beach or something best they can look forward to is a walk in the park Saturday afternoon. People who are not religious can also benefit frm a little extra family time so we would not just be doing this to make religious people happy.

Israeli employers (and indeed the labour laws) demand more working hours in Israel than most countries. If you think that this little exercise won't result in them wanting their pound of flesh to be made up by a 10-11 hour day, think again. Reduce the work week to 40 hours and be done with the counter-productive 9 hour days and nobody will care when the weekend comes.

possible to do in four and a half days the same amount of work than in five. Sundays, offices are mostly closed abroad and none transactions can be done that day.Thus no nonsense.

Why can't we modernise the rules to take into account electricity and the internal combustion engine? I doubt there will be many people in Israel cooking their Shabbat meal over an open fire

It sounds crazy!! In a moment of International crisis, is this the way to compete with China, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. that work only 335days of 12 hours?? T.W.

so when a Chag falls on Shabbath yom rishon will be a vacation day I'm sure many would appreciate this and the cost to the economy would not be that great

as it is, many people don't work a wh0le day, and rush hour anywhere starts at 13 when schools shut down, and peaks 15.

It's a waste of time having Sunday off completely .Could have Sunday afternoon off possibly Friday work to One Pm by zmanim.Also no daylight saving at all in exchange Hatzollah Haredi duty motzai shabbos.

Sarah B - your presumption that the laws of Shabbot of connected to physical labor display complete ignorance of the basis for the laws of Shabbat. It has nothing to do with physical labor but is based on a set of defined creative processes. If you want to speak with intelligence on a subject you need to do some sincere study of the subject beforehand and not presume you know what you are talking about.

by working as many hours as Chinese. We must compete with creative ideas. And this is more likely to happen with enough rest days.

In my 5 day work week I am contracted to work 8.6 hours per day . I clock in and clock out and 40 minutes is deducted for a lunch break whether I get to take it or not. 10 years ago, before aliyah, my working week was 37.5 hrs/week, (7 hrs and 21 minutes a day) with the option to work 8 hours and take Friday afternoon off. Israeli employers over work and under pay their employees. I am all for Sunday off!

The difference is the few who work on Sundays will be choosing to work. Just because its a longer weekend it doesn't mean one can't work on Sunday. Do you think hotels won't run on Sundays? Of course they will. So the argument for the few is very nice but doesn't really work for me.

"Thus alleviating Saturday's burden!" Is this Mr. Bennett's opinion of Shabbat? To me and all the people I worship and fellowship with Shabbat is "a delight." It is a very blessed day filled with love, joy and shalom! If Bennett's brand of Judaism makes Shabbat a burden, he needs to consider another. Am Israel Chai!

Does that mean we work 12 hour days 4 days a week to put in enough hours to be anywhere near competitive in the increasingly tough world market place. High tech workers are already working those hours at least 5 days a week. Is he nuts?

Why not declare Monday and Thursday as Torah (Mitzvot) Days?

Many places in Canada work 4 days a week, 10 hours a day. This way you work a full 40 hours and get 3 days off. Fridays may be optional for overtime, for some extra cash.

They want it like in the USA. But the Israelis have to be aware of the consequences... Results will be higher wages per hour, prices for goods and services will than be increasing due to the higher wages, and thus causing high inflation. Young secular people with too much free time at hand will get boring and take to the streets causing criminal mischief to peaceful citizens. The crime rate will go up because people will need to spend money, which they don't have, for entertainment and leisure. Later, after the Govt. starts this extended sabbatical, the Govt. will not be able to drive back the clock, since the public tatsed it already. There will be trouble brewing ahead.

Wasn't Bayit HaYehudi elected to address real issues---like the ending of the unilateral enforcement of Oslo, and the strengthening of the communities in Yehuda,Shomeron, and the Golan? Let the free market figure out the work week---enough social engineering from the top down! Instead, lets make Israel a strong nation where Jews can build their homes without interference from the inside or the outside.

First push for lowering taxes.

a problem,that ought to be resolved.