This morning on its web site the Israel PTO published notice of a job opening. (I was looking for word about the new patent statute amendments, but but found nothing; a lengthy post on that topic is in the works.) What caught my eye was the title of the announcement, "Publication of Notice of Position of Coordinator (Patent Matters) For Minorities". Curious as to what the last clause meant, I read further.
Turns out the job primarily involves dealing with the formal aspects of applications for patent term extension, although other formalities associated with patents, such as updated address changes, are included in the job responsbilities as well. A high school education is required, and some job experience is required for candidates with no additional education; the job is open to both men and women, and preference will be given to candidates who have successfully completed the civil service examinations.
But the most interesting part was the statement right under the headline: "The position is intended for the non-Jewish population including the Druze and Circassian population". They might as well have written "Jews need not apply".
I'm all for encouraging minorites to work in the civil service, but should a candidate who is substantively qualified for a position be specifically excluded from it because he's Jewish (or Druze, or Arab, or a Russian-born Christian)? For that kind of treatment there are plenty of other places I could live.