Knesset Bill Requires Correct and Uniform English Spelling of Country’s Street Signs

In a move that will remove some levity from the streets of Israel, a bill that would require both correct and uniform spellings in English of street signs passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset plenum. The legislation means that signs will not direct people to both Jerusalem and Yerushalayim, or to Herzl Street and Hertzel Street for roads named in honor of the father of modern Zionism. The bill was sponsored by former Raanana Mayor Eitan Ginzburg of the Blue and White party, who presided over a city with a large population of English speakers. “This bill is simply intended to bring about order and bring about a uniform database of names, respect the languages and take a small step forward on the path to being an organized country,” Ginsburg said before the vote. Localities will have five years from the passage of the legislation to update their signs. Signs in Israel generally list the names of streets in Hebrew, Arabic and English.