Within the secular sector, the accepted norm of playing ear-
splitting music at reception halls has become unbearable.
People are unable to attend family events due to the noise
levels, which make any time spent there a nightmare. They
cannot exchange a single word with friends and family, and
cannot even sit at the table in comfort for any period of
time. Young people who come to the reception hall dance and
bob about, and the higher the volume, the livelier and more
"joyful" the dancing--but meanwhile, all of the adult guests
are unable to remain.
Yuval Steinitz (Likud) has brought this situation to the
attention of the Knesset's Interior Committee, accompanied
by a novel bill to eradicate the problem.
The bill would require hall owners to install a device to
measure noise levels. If the music volume exceeds 75
decibels, the electricity supply to the hall would be cut
off automatically after two minutes. If the volume reaches
90 decibels, the electricity supply would be cut off after
ten seconds.
The proposal has local disc jockeys worried. The 3,000-
member strong disc jockeys' union picked up the beat last
week, striking out at the bill during a meeting of the
Knesset's Interior Committee. "A wedding or bar mitzvah is
not a concert of the philharmonic orchestra. I'd like to see
a Kurdish wedding where the music is below 75 decibels. They
would throw the disc jockey out on his ear," said Moshe Ben
Yashar, chairman of the Union of Israeli Disc Jockeys.
In light of the response, Yuval Steinitz agreed to a
"discount." Electricity would be disconnected only after two
minutes of continuous noise at a level of 90 decibels.
During the course of the meeting, committee chairman, David
Azoulai (Shas), said, "The damage caused as a result of the
noise is irreversible: hearing loss and increased blood
pressure, heartbeat irregularities, disruption of kidney
function and fatigue."
Following the committee meetings, legislative proceedings
will continue.
