Schools transition to distance learning amid ongoing missile fire from Iran

The Education Ministry announced Sunday that schools will transition to distance learning starting Monday, as Iran continued to fire deadly volleys of missiles in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes.

The ministry said that the education system would focus on “creating personal connections, educational dialogue, and the processing of emotions.”

Jewish schools will also teach about the upcoming Purim holiday and the Fast of Esther.

Non-Jewish schools will hold distance learning sessions “in accordance with pedagogical recommendations,” the ministry said, with an emphasis on “creating continuous connections with the students and maintaining educational dialogue and emotional processing.”

Even though Sunday is the start of the academic and work week in Israel, most Jewish educational institutions did not hold virtual classes that day as it had been planned to be a celebration of Purim.

While schools will hold online classes of a kind on Monday, Jewish schools are on Purim vacation on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Home Front Command restrictions on gatherings, including at educational facilities, are set to be reassessed on Monday evening.

Ten Israelis have been killed by Iranian missile fire since Israel and the US launched an operation against Tehran’s regime on Saturday.

Under the current rules, all educational activities, gatherings, and work, except for essential sectors, are prohibited.

The restrictions are likely to tightly curtail celebrations for Purim, which commemorates a victory over an oppressive Persian regime.

The festival is usually marked with the reading of the Book of Esther, costume parades, and parties.