UPDATE: Thanks to a government ministry a little more in touch with people, the summer clock laws were changed in 2013, meaning that Summer 2013 officially ended on October 27, some SEVEN weeks after it was originally supposed to end. Good news for sun lovers! See the list below for an updated list of summer clock changes.
Yep, those long summer days have to come to an end, as, like the rest of the world, Israel implements Daylight Saving Time.
This year, the clocks go back on Sunday 23rd September, at 02:00. A big “Booooo…” can be heard throughout the Holy Land…
It always seems crazy early to us, officially announcing the end of summer in Israel so soon (see below for reasons why summer ends so early), especially when temperatures are still popping the 30C+ region, and the beaches are still jumping. But this is one of the many quirks you get used to living in the Holy Land, the mix of politics and religion…
What does it mean for the most of us in Israel? Well, sunsets are now going to happen around 5pm in the coming days, and gradually get earlier of course…bear that in mind when you plan on heading for the beach! And those of you susceptible to winter depression should probably steer clear of those long, cold winters in Israel (although compared to winters elsewhere in the world, Israeli winters are a walk in the park – a bright, sunny park!)…
The only light on the horizon is the knowledge that summer in Israel returns on Friday, March 29, 2013. Mark it in your diaries! (By the way, summer in 2013 will end even earlier, on September 8, but let’s not go there right now…) – UPDATE: This was changed thanks to new laws imposed by the Knesset, Gawd bless ’em! See the following list for the new dates:
- 2013: Summer Begins March 29 – Summer Ends October 27 (212 days in total)
- 2014: Summer Begins March 28 – Summer Ends October 26 (212 days in total)
- 2015: Summer Begins March 27 – Summer Ends October 25 (212 days in total)
- 2016: Summer Begins March 25 – Summer Ends October 30 (219 days in total)
- 2017: Summer Begins March 24 – Summer Ends October 29 (219 days in total)
- 2018: Summer Begins March 23 – Summer Ends October 28 (219 days in total)
- 2019: Summer Begins March 29 – Summer Ends October 27 (212 days in total)
Israel has always had Daylight Saving Time, but ever since 2005 the date the clock was moved forward/back was based on the religious holidays of Passover in the spring, and Rosh HaShana (the Jewish New Year) in the autumn. This means the date always varied because the holidays are based on the Jewish calendar, but typically Passover happens in March/April, and Rosh HaShana in September. With the new laws in place in 2013, this has changed for the good. Instead of pissing the majority of secular Israelis off, because many countries throughout the world only change their summer clocks in October or even early November…