Israeli Students Return to School on Different Schedules Due to Union Agreements

Students across Israel will return to school on staggered dates following the Sukkot holiday, due to differing labor agreements with teachers' unions. Children in kindergartens, elementary schools, and middle schools will resume classes on Sunday, October 4th, which is the intermediate day of Sukkot (Isru Chag). However, high school students in grades 10-12 will have an additional day off and will only return to school on Monday, October 5th.

The discrepancy stems from separate holiday schedules agreed upon with the Teachers Union and the Secondary School Teachers Association. For kindergarten, elementary, and middle school educators, Isru Chag is a workday, thus students attend. In contrast, high schools observe this day as a holiday according to their specific schedule. This difference is also linked to an agreement made around the period between Yom Kippur and Sukkot.

Under existing agreements, extra workdays were added at other points in the year, including Ta'anit Esther, Isru Chag of Passover, and Isru Chag of Shavuot. However, Isru Chag of Sukkot and Lag Ba'omer remain vacation days for secondary school teachers.

The current agreements are set to expire, with the agreement with the Teachers Union due to end in 2022. The state will need to negotiate a new labor agreement, which could potentially alter future holiday schedules. Until a new schedule is finalized, the current arrangement will remain in effect, meaning high school students will start their academic year a day later than their younger counterparts.