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Jack Molad

The Israeli weekend – an open letter to Mr. Netanyahu

Dear Mr. Netanyahu, hopefully our next P.M.

Perhaps you may be the only person whom I think could bring about this important change to the working class in Israel.

On Tuesday the 1st of November, election day, I went shopping with my family at one of Jerusalem’s largest shopping malls. As we arrived, it took us 30 minutes to find a parking spot. Later, inside the mall at the food courts we had to wait a long time before we could find an open table. The reason for this phenomenon is obvious and it creates a frantic situation on those precious “vacation” days at our shopping malls.

Israelis do not have a weekend in which stores and restaurants are all open, travel operates, and families can get together. In America, where I lived for 75 years, and around the world, people can experience a weekend which truly feels like a day off from work and on which they can shop. Israel is perhaps the only country which gives its population half a day (even less in these short winter days) to do their shopping, traveling, cooking, dining, and more.

This unfortunate situation has deprived the Israelis for the past 70 years to enjoy a “true” weekend. Perhaps this change would allow us to take a collective deep breath in order to better prepare for the busy week ahead.

So, I turn to you Mr. Netanyahu, and ask if you would please take the time to look into this very important possibility, giving the Israeli people what they truly deserve, a normal weekend on Saturday and Sunday.

Jack Molad

About the Author
Jack Molad was born in Tel Aviv in 1930 during the British Mandate period and fought with the Haganah. Jack set out for the United States to spread Israeli tradition to Jews in the US. He achieved a masters degree at Saint Louis University and established Hebrew programs for traditional Jewish youth in Saint Louis, Omaha, and Dallas. Jack also founded and led Teen Tours, a summer program in Israel for traditional Jewish teens to experience Israel. Jack returned to Jerusalem in 2021, where he resides with many of his children and grandchildren.
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