Ra'anana Religious Education Faces Overcrowding Amidst Empty Secular Classrooms
Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba
Parents in Ra'anana are protesting severe overcrowding in state religious schools, with classrooms averaging 32.7 students compared to 25.5 in secular schools. This disparity, affecting approximately 28% more students in religious classrooms, is attributed to political decisions by the city council and Mayor Haim Broyde. The Headquarters for Preserving Jewish Identity highlights that no new religious school has been built in 35 years, while secular schools have low enrollment. The municipality claims to be addressing the issue and investing equally in all educational sectors.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Ra'anana's state religious schools average 32.7 students per class, significantly higher than secular schools' 25.5.
- Parents cite political decisions by Mayor Haim Broyde and the city council for the overcrowding.
- No new state religious elementary school has been built in Ra'anana in 35 years.
- Secular state schools in the city center and south have significantly fewer students than capacity.
- A proposed solution of portable classrooms in an industrial zone is criticized as inadequate.
- The municipality states it is continuously addressing religious education needs and investing equally.
Parents in Ra'anana are protesting severe overcrowding in state religious (Mamad) schools, contrasting with under-enrolled secular state schools. Data for the 2026-2027 school year reveals a significant disparity, with Mamad classrooms averaging 32.7 students compared to 25.5 in secular state schools, a difference of approximately 28%. Parents attribute this imbalance to political considerations by the city council and its head, Haim Broyde.
The statistics show that three central Mamad schools, Ariel, Yavne, and Bilu, enroll around 2,012 students. In contrast, 13 secular state schools accommodate 4,541 students. Furthermore, Mamad schools are considerably larger on average, with about 671 students per school, while secular schools average only 349 students. Eight of the 13 secular schools have fewer than 310 students.
The Headquarters for Preserving Jewish Identity in Ra'anana argues that the issue stems not from a general lack of educational facilities but from the city's resource allocation. They claim that while secular schools in the city center and south have low enrollment, Mamad students are concentrated in three main institutions, leading to packed classrooms. "The bottom line is that no new state religious elementary school has been built in 35 years," stated Shani Amosi, a member of the Headquarters, noting that new neighborhoods have been developed without corresponding Mamad school construction.
Amosi criticized the municipality's proposed solution of establishing educational facilities in portable structures in an industrial zone, deeming it inadequate due to the distance from residential areas. She suggested reallocating existing, underutilized secular school buildings to alleviate the Mamad overcrowding. "We are not asking to shake up the system. We said: Give us temporarily. Do you have long-term plans to build a new Mamad school? Excellent. Give us one of the buildings for five years," she urged.
The municipality responded by stating that the educational needs of the state religious sector are continuously addressed, as confirmed by the Ministry of Education. They affirmed their commitment to investing in the city's educational development for all sectors equally.
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