Israeli Parents Frustrated by School "Bridge" Days Between Holidays

Israeli parents are expressing frustration over three consecutive "bridge" days where schools are closed but workplaces remain open, falling between Yom Kippur and Sukkot. These days, which are not official holidays, create significant childcare challenges for working parents, especially as they follow closely on the heels of the two-month summer vacation. Parents report that these unscheduled breaks disrupt their work and force them to scramble for solutions, with some fearing their children will revert to excessive screen time due to lack of structured activity.

"It's infuriating because these are three completely normal workdays when everyone in Israel is working, and there's no reason for children to be on vacation," said Hani Gwili, a mother of two. She added that the break forces parents to find alternative arrangements and can lead to children becoming idle and spending too much time on their phones.

Another parent, Shiran Karni, highlighted the mismatch between school holidays and parental work schedules. "My husband has to work these days. I have to manage, and physically I can't. There's no coordination between parents' days off and the children's," she stated, emphasizing the difficulty of managing childcare when work obligations continue.

Tal Ben Ari Kedosh, a mother of three, echoed these sentiments, calling the bridge days "super infuriating" after the long summer break and a September already packed with holidays. Working in a sector that requires year-round operation, she faces a lack of solutions and may have to bring her youngest child to work. She noted that children have barely readjusted to school routines before being given another vacation, hindering their adaptation to the educational framework.