This year, the personal and national have been constantly intertwined, and today, when we at AMIT opened the school year, this was felt very much – sadness and challenge, alongside hope for a brighter and better future.
Today, Israeli high schools (10th-12th grade) were on strike due to the decision of the teacher’s union (following a very prolonged disagreement). The timing could not be less appropriate, after the very difficult year that the entire country went through.
Tomorrow, there is a one-day general strike of the Israeli Union, including airports, public transportation, elementary and middle schools, and the high school strike continues. Tomorrow’s general strike aims to put pressure on the government to accept the hostage deal that is currently on the table.
At this time of national turmoil, sorrow, and challenge, we are so proud of our leadership, who are working tirelessly on behalf of our students. Today, despite the strike, our schools fully opened in both Sderot and the north, including high schools, and everything went smoothly.
Tomorrow, in order to provide meaningful content to our students despite the strike, we will be running AMIT TV programming, with the goal of not only occupying our students but also building their resilience and their sense of routine.
It is our moral responsibility to check in on our students, be in touch with them, and ensure their well-being in such times, no matter what the union prescribes.
Recognizing the critical role of building bridges in Israeli society now more than ever, Tuesday’s senior leadership meeting will focus on looking at this strategically and expanding what we are doing and the role we can play as change agents, through the prism of education. Our role as a Reshet of Klal Yisrael, with schools of all walks of Israeli society, becomes even more meaningful at this time. The importance of being part of the Klal (the greater community), feeling the pain of society at large and of those around us, and moving these emotions to action are critical educational elements that we aim to instill in our students.
We hope and pray that this school year will be filled with joy, safety, fulfillment, and meaning, along with the return of all of the hostages and the safety and success of all of our soldiers.
