Back to School?

September 9, 2025

Subscribe to ACRI's newsletter

Dear friend,

September is here, which means it is time for back-to-school. School in Israel starts on September 1 every year; it is a joyful milestone, marked with celebrations at schools throughout the country. Children excitedly return to school, meet their new teachers, and reconnect with their friends after the long summer break. Parents finally exhale after months of summer vacation. 

At least...that is how it should be. At ACRI, the week before the start of the school year is always when we focus on education rights. We are well aware that for the third year in a row children in Gaza are not returning to school, and no parent there is breathing a sigh of relief. As we work to stop the war and protect the human rights of Gazan civilians, we were heartened by the teachers from across Israel who participated in a video calling for an end to the war.  We have been publicly advocating for and supporting the rights of teachers to freedom of expression, both within and outside of the classroom. Teachers who are committed to democratic values and human rights will produce informed and similarly committed students.

But in order to receive an education from teachers grounded in human rights and democratic values, children need access to schools in the first place. At ACRI, we are also working on behalf of students in East Jerusalem and throughout Israel to ensure their right to an education. 

Hundreds of children in East Jerusalem remain trapped in educational limbo, watching from the sidelines as the school year begins without them. In April, Israel closed the UNRWA schools that operated in East Jerusalem, leaving 800 students without schools. Though the Ministry of Education assured ACRI that it was ensuring that  When the schools were closed, ACRI sent a letter to the Ministry of Education to ensure that appropriate alternative arrangements would be made for each student, by the end of August, as the first day of school approached, it became clear that approximately 600 students had no school placement for the coming year and were receiving little to no help from the government. ACRI sent an urgent appeal to the Ministry of Education and the Jerusalem Municipality on August 26, days before the start of the school year. Given the urgency of the situation, we demanded immediate registration days, and that if students cannot be placed in public schools, that the State bear the tuition costs. 

The children attending kindergarten in the Bedouin village of Bir Al-Hamam were able to start school this year, thanks to ACRI. The kindergarten, the only one in the village, has been serving the village’s children for 20 years. But in November 2024, parents received a letter stating that because of deficiencies in the kindergarten, it would be closed. Once again, no attempts were made by local authorities to find alternatives for the village’s children, or to communicate with the parents. ACRI sent an appeal to the Al-Kason Regional Council and the Ministry of Education demanding that the issues with the kindergarten be fixed, and that it be reopened. After months of legal correspondence and court hearings, ACRI was victorious. The kindergarten reopened, and we are now working to ensure that conditions are improved so that students can receive the best education possible.  

The right to an education is a fundamental right. An education provides the knowledge, stability, and tools needed to advance in life, particularly for children from minority groups and vulnerable socioeconomic populations. We will not allow the State to deny the importance of this right, to muzzle its teachers, or to ignore its responsibilities in ensuring equal access for everyone to an education.  

Ensure that it’s back-to-school time—for everyone. Donate now.  

More News from ACRI:

• The Supreme Court ruled in ACRI's favor, determining that Palestinian security prisoners were not being given adequate food as required by law, and ruling that the government must take steps to ensure that all prisoners are being given enough to eat. Details to follow in an upcoming newsletter.

• ACRI stands with the Palestinian human rights organizations that were recently sanctioned by the United States government. For the full statement, see here. 

• Gaza City residents have been told to evacuate, but they have nowhere to go. 

• The use of mounted police to disperse protesters is dangerous for the protesters and for the horses.

• Driving in Israel is challenging enough. In the West Bank, on the "Road of Death," it is even worse.

We have not forgotten: 🛑 Stop the killing and starvation in Gaza 🛑 Stop the abandonment of the hostages 🛑 End the war. Now.