A Mutagim Consulting survey of Israel's adult Jewish population, commissioned by “Globes” has found that not everyone who scrupulously keeps kosher for Passover objects to the sale of hametz (leavening), and that everyone who eats hametz by Jewish-owned businesses during the holiday supports the sale of hametz.
14.1% of respondents keep kosher year-round, 25.8% tend to keep kosher more carefully during Passover than during the rest of the year, and 31.6% do not keep kosher either during Passover or the rest of the year.
In response to the question whether or not places selling hametz should be open during the week-long Passover holiday, 29.3% of respondents said yes, 58.9% said no, and 11.9% had no opinion.
Comparing the responses to the two questions indicates that 11% of those who keep kosher year-round and 21.4% of those who keep kosher only during Passover believe that the sale of hametz during the holiday should be permissible. In contrast, a quarter of people who do not keep kosher at all said it would be better if no sales of hametz took place during Passover.
The proportion of respondents who oppose the sale of hametz during Passover was highest among young people (75% of people aged 18-24, with the proportion falling to almost 50% among people over the age of 35), low income-earners (84%, compared with 40% among high income-earners), and, naturally, among religious people (85%, while 6% demonstrated a surprising liberal attitude and the rest don’t care). The same 64% of residents in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem oppose the sale of hametz during the holiday, the highest proportion of any area in Israel.
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert this morning authorized Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger to sell the country's hametz, in accordance with the State Assets Law. The country's hametz was sold to Ismail Jabar from Abu Ghosh in exchange for an advance of NIS 20,000. The sale is valid until the end of Passover.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 11, 2006
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2006