Jerusalem asks to reopen schools for young children on Wednesday, other cities wait

By Rossella Tercatin

You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

9 March 2026, 7:29 pm

Edit

Rossella Tercatin is The Times of Israel's archaeology and religions reporter.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion says he intends to partially reopen the city’s education system on Wednesday, after Education Minister Yoav Kisch earlier today announced a plan to allow local authorities considered at low risk to start operating their schools again later this week.

However, several mayors from other cities say they intend to keep schools closed at least until Sunday, according to the Ynet outlet.

“After conversations with representatives of the Home Front Command in Jerusalem, the Education Ministry, and the local parents’ representatives, I have submitted a request for approval from the authorized bodies to begin a phased return to school in Jerusalem,” Lion says in a statement. “The first stage will see the resumption of activities of daycares, grades 1-2, and special education schools.”

The mayor stresses that only schools with bomb shelters will be allowed to reopen.

“I support this move, because our children also need a routine, an educational framework and meetings with friends and teachers,” Lion adds, while emphasizing that the plan is subject to approval by the relevant authorities and to the updated assessments of the security situation.

Mayors of several cities in central Israel who belong to a group known as “Forum 16” say that they will wait to reopen their schools at least until Sunday. The group includes Herzliya, Rishon Lezion, Ra’anana, Rehovot, and Netanya.

“It’s enough to look at the skies of Israel and what is reported in the media to understand that opening the education system means taking an excessive risk and is irresponsible,” Carmel Shama-Hacohen, the head of the Forum, says. “The needs of the Israeli economy are important to all of us, but the balance clearly tips in favor of caution when it comes to the safety of our children’s lives.”

According to Ynet, the mayors of Haifa and Modiin also oppose reopening schools this week, while those in Maale Adumim in the West Bank and Kiryat Ata in the Haifa District say they are in favor of a gradual reopening on Wednesday.