From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 23, 2025
Education minister reverses decision to sanction Haredi schools that stayed open in violation of IDF’s Iran war guidelines
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Education Minister Yoav Kisch reverses a decision to shut down dozens of ultra-Orthodox schools operating in violation of the IDF’s Home Front Command guidelines during the war with Iran following outcry from Haredi lawmakers.
On Monday morning, the ministry announced that “immediate steps” had been ordered against some 80 schools, which would be shuttered and their funding halted because their continued operation posed a safety threat.
The decision was immediately panned by Haim Biton (Shas), a minister within the Education Ministry, who said the schools would receive a “final warning” rather than facing sanctions.
After initially standing behind his decision, Kisch’s office says that the closure orders announced earlier in the day would be converted into warnings.
The Times of Israel Community.