Israel officially returned to Winter Time early Sunday morning, October 25, turning clocks back one hour and bringing earlier sunsets across the country. The change took effect at 2 a.m., when the time reverted to 1 a.m., giving residents an additional hour overnight. The new schedule will remain in place until March 26, 2027.

Under Israel’s Time Determination Law of 2013, the country ends Daylight Saving Time annually on the final Sunday in October. Clocks are moved forward again on the Friday preceding the final Sunday in March, marking the return of the longer daylight hours associated with spring and summer.

Most cellphones, computers, and other internet-connected devices should have made the adjustment automatically, provided their time settings are configured for automatic updates and the correct Israeli time zone. Residents using traditional clocks, watches, and appliances without automatic time adjustments must change them manually.

The return to Winter Time shifts an hour of daylight from the afternoon to the morning, meaning sunrise and sunset will both occur approximately one hour earlier according to the clock. The change is intended to better accommodate the shorter daylight hours of the winter months.

For workers and students, the adjustment means more daylight during the early morning commute. However, it also brings darkness earlier in the afternoon, shortening the amount of daylight available after school and work.

The earlier sunset can affect afternoon travel, outdoor activities, and daily schedules, particularly as the days continue to shorten toward the winter solstice in December. More commuters will find themselves traveling home after dark, while families will have fewer daylight hours available for activities later in the day.

The time change also temporarily affects the difference between Israel and the United States. Because most of the United States will not turn its clocks back until Sunday, November 1, Israel will be six hours ahead of New York and New Jersey for the coming week, rather than the usual seven. The seven-hour difference will resume when American clocks are adjusted next Sunday.

Israel’s current system dates to legislation approved by the Knesset in 2013, which extended Daylight Saving Time through the end of October. Previously, Israel often returned to standard time before Yom Kippur, a practice that generated recurring political disputes over the appropriate timing of the seasonal change.

The earlier arrangement was particularly complicated because Yom Kippur falls on different dates of the secular calendar each year. As a result, Israel sometimes ended Daylight Saving Time several weeks before European countries made their own adjustments.

Under the present schedule, Israel’s autumn clock change coincides with the European transition to standard time, while the United States follows a different timetable. The arrangement will remain in effect throughout the winter, with clocks in Israel scheduled to move forward again at 2 a.m. on Friday, March 26, 2027, when the country returns to Daylight Saving Time.