Online petition: Disregard end of Daylight Saving Time

Over 20,000 people sign petition demanding people ignore the start of Standard Time which is set to begin before Yom Kippur.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Jewish men pray joshua tomb 311 (photo credit: AP)
Jewish men pray joshua tomb 311
(photo credit: AP)
Over 20,000 people have signed an online petition which calls for the boycott of Standard Time in the next three days, which comes into effect this year before Yom Kippur.
Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends in two weeks on September 12, before Yom Kippur, moving the clock back by an hour.
The petition, currently being sent through the internet, calls on the public to ignore the start of Standard Time and operate according to DST until the beginning of November.
"Schools, businesses, public institutes, families and other bodies – please continue operating as if the clock has not been moved back," says the petition. According to the petition organizers, DST increases the likelihood of motor-vehicle accidents due to the increase in time spent driving during hours of darkness and costs millions of shekels for the Israeli economy.
The petition protests a 2005 bill which was meant to ease fasting during Yom Kippur. "Even this pathetic excuse is completely warped since the fast lasts 25 hours in any case, and moving the clock only results in warmer hours for those fasting and praying," the petition claims.
"Disregard the moving of the clock and maybe finally our elected officials will realize they work for us and not the other way around," declares the petition.
The Manufacturers' Association provides data every year on the negative effects suffered by the economy as a result of limiting DST. The association, however, declined to comment on its view regarding the petition. "The association does not deal with matters pertaining to religion and state," a statement by the group said.