Education minister clarifies that Passover camps will only operate at request of local authorities

Education Minister Yoav Kisch issues a statement clarifying that Passover camps at schools across Israel will only operate over the upcoming holiday at the request of local authorities and are not obligatory, only hours after a previous cancellation announcement of such informal educational programs in 18 municipalities in central Israel.

“The operation of summer camps and educational programs during the Passover holiday is carried out by the local authorities and under their responsibility, within the framework of informal education and in accordance with the guidelines and exceptions of the Home Front Command” and is “subject to the decision of the local authorities alone,” says a spokesperson for the Education Ministry.

According to the ministry, “there is no intention to hold activities in places where there is concern or where the authority chooses not to open” and the minister’s directive allowing the running of such programs “is not an obligation, but an option given to authorities that are interested in it.” The ministry adds that local authorities must proactively apply to open such programs during wartime.

This morning, Kisch announced that he was canceling Passover camps across central Israel after a cluster bomb fired by Iran hit an empty daycare in Rishon Lezion.

The daycare, which was closed for the weekend, was one of several sites hit by cluster munitions in Rishon Lezion, without any injuries reported.

The decision came at the request of the “Forum of 16,” which comprises 16 mayors and two regional council heads from central Israel, which already recommended canceling the Passover camps before the incident in Rishon Lezion.