Israel faces a Sabbath without simple, old-fashioned challah, unless the government allows the bakers to raise prices in accordance with wheat-price raises. Fancy sweet challah will be available in any event.
Israel's two largest bakeries, Angel and Berman, stopped baking simple white and mixed white-and-whole-wheat bread Thursday morning, leaving a bread shortage felt throughout the country. And if that wasn't bad enough, it is also possible that challahs of the simple kind will not be available for the Sabbath.
The problem is rooted in the fact that the government subsidizes simple bread and controls its price. The bakers have a straightforward claim: "The price of wheat has gone up around the world, and we, accordingly, pay more for flour. We therefore cannot continue selling the bread at the same prices."
The government, however, refuses to allow the price rise. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Trade Minister Eli Yishai of Shas say they cannot allow the bakers' to solve their problems at the expense of Israel's poor, and signed an order this week extending the current price schedule for another three months.
The numbers appear to be inconsequential. A loaf of simple white bread costs 3.65 shekels, while challah cost 4.05 shekels. The bakers are asking for a half-shekel increase in the price of challah, to 4.55 shekels, while the government agrees to approve only 20 agorot, to 4.35. For bread, the difference is even less. The government's position is that some of the requested increase is already covered by automatic subsidies.
Yaron Angel, one of the owners of Angels, told Arutz-7's Hebrew newsmagazine, "We are continuing to produce baked goods that are not price-controlled, because we were able to raise the prices. But we cannot continue producing bread at previous prices, when the cost of wheat has jumped 30%... The difference for the consumer would be only about 7 shekels a month; when we see gas prices jumping every month, and the like, the Trade Minister's campaign on behalf of the poor appears ridiculous and populistic. If he is really concerned for them, there are other things he could do to help them."
Angel said that about 40% of his company's production is price-controlled bread and challah.
The "Orot Hesed" (Lights of Kindness) charity organization has asked the government to intervene so that challah will be available for the Sabbath. "Sabbath is coming, and action must be taken now so that needy families will have challah for Sabbath," the organization announced.
Similarly, "Latet" (To Give) announced, "With a million citizens in immediate need of food and other items, the country must make it clear that at least food staples won't cost more."