Universities say they may start upcoming semester with online classes

Most universities plan to begin their spring semesters as scheduled next week or soon after, though they are planning for the possibility that they will have to initially rely on distance learning due to the ongoing war with Iran.

Only Tel Aviv University has said so far that it will be postponing classes for a significant period, announcing Sunday that its spring semester will commence on April 12, after the Jewish holiday of Passover, rather than the planned opening date of March 15.

Tel Aviv University said the delay was designed to help students called up for military reserve duty and unable to attend classes, “in the expectation that by then they will have completed their reserve duty and will be able to return to campus and fully join the second semester.”

The IDF has mobilized 100,000 reservists amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. Most Israelis attend university after completing their compulsory army service and are therefore subject to being called up for reserve duty during their studies.

Many students have been significantly impacted by the long periods spent in the reserves since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which sparked the two-year war in Gaza, and universities have been working to offer them support, with deadline extensions, makeup classes and more.

Bar-Ilan University said it was operating a special program meant to provide help to reservists whose studies are affected.

“The university is determined to ensure that no student is left behind,” the school said.

Bar-Ilan, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and the University of Haifa all said they plan to open on March 15, though some may begin the semester in a remote learning format.

Current Home Front Command regulations prohibit in-person instruction for educational institutions, though other parts of public life have begun to reopen, including workplaces with fewer than 50 people that have access to bomb shelters.

“In coordination with most other institutions, the second semester will begin on Sunday, March 15, as originally planned,” the Hebrew University in Jerusalem said in a statement. “If educational activities cannot take place on campus, we will begin instruction via Zoom and transition to on-campus teaching as soon as circumstances allow.”

Both Ben-Gurion and Haifa also said in-person openings were subject to security considerations.

Reichman University in Herzliya said it has already decided that it will begin courses “in an online format” and will move to in-person when circumstances allow.

A spokesperson from Ariel University in the West Bank told The Times of Israel that the beginning of the semester was postponed from March 15 to at least March 17, and a final date will be confirmed by the school at least five days in advance. For now, all academic activities, including online ones, are suspended.

The Technion in Haifa is preparing to start its spring semester on March 25, as originally planned, while as of Sunday, it is allowing the resumption of gradual research, administrative, and study activities on campus, a spokesperson said.