Israel's School Year Resumes With Varied Start Dates Due to Labor Agreements

Israel's "bridge holiday" between Yom Kippur and Sukkot concludes on Sunday, but not all students will return to classes after a two-and-a-half-week break. While kindergarteners, elementary, and middle school students will resume their studies on Sunday, October 1st, high school students in grades 10-12 will have an additional day off, returning on Monday, October 2nd. This discrepancy stems from differing labor agreements between the Teachers Union and the Organization of Senior Teachers.

The extended holiday period, which has been in place in recent years, requires making up for lost instructional days. Consequently, teachers now work on three days that were previously holidays: Fast of Esther, the day after Passover, and the day after Sukkot. For high school teachers, this means that the days after Sukkot and Lag Ba'omer are now non-working holidays.

A high school teacher from Gush Dan, identified as the high school teacher, expressed frustration, stating, "In my opinion, this day is a waste, how much can we stretch the vacation? The economy is returning to activity, everyone is out. Parents are working, younger siblings are in their programs - high school students are staying home, some are still sleeping from the summer vacation - how much have we managed to learn?" He added that he would prefer a flexible day off and to work on Sunday, contrasting the rigid schedule with other professions.

Conversely, for kindergarten, elementary, and middle school teachers, the days after Sukkot and Lag Ba'omer are regular working days, with students attending. In exchange for working these days, these educators received two flexible days off during the school year. It is emphasized that teachers have not received any "gift" days off and continue to teach the same total number of hours.

Discussions are ongoing regarding a new agreement, with negotiations expected to begin after the formation of the new government. Until a new holiday schedule is established, the current arrangement will remain in effect. There are divided opinions among teachers regarding the bridge holiday, with some finding it beneficial and others considering it entirely unnecessary.