Opposition leader Tzipi Livni made a point of speaking a Druze school in Daliat Al-Carmel, protesting the coalition's passage of the Jewish Nation-State Law.
By GIL HOFFMANUpdated: SEPTEMBER 3, 2018 04:46Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu starting the school year in the Breuer school in Yad Binyamin(photo credit: AVI OHAYON - GPO)
Politicians from across the spectrum spent Sunday visiting schools and speaking about the importance of education to the country’s future.Sunday’s cabinet meeting was canceled, as was a weekly meeting of the heads of the parties in the coalition, to let politicians go to school. The Knesset did not let MKs enter the parliament building, which has been shut down for three weeks.“The first day of school is an emotional day for all of us, including pupils, teachers, principals and parents,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on a visit to the Breuer School in Yad Binyamin. “We all take part in the experience together.”Speaking to first graders, Netanyahu recalled his first day of school in Jerusalem. He told the pupils “invest in your studies, don’t stop reading and widening your horizons, and enjoy yourselves at recess.” His message to teachers was to educate the children for excellence.“Israel depends on the strength of its economy, military, diplomacy and its spirit,” Netanyahu said. “That spirit is based on the education of our children in our national and historic values.”Opposition leader Tzipi Livni made a point of speaking a Druze school in Daliat al-Carmel, protesting the coalition’s passage of the Jewish Nation-State Law.“You are not second-class citizens,” she told the students. “Don’t lose hope, and don’t let anyone hurt your pride in yourselves and in your state. We will struggle together.”Younger politicians brought their children to their first day of school. Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) brought his son David to school in Ra’anana. His advice to pupils was to never stop being curious.Former education minister Gideon Sa’ar (Likud) posted a picture on Facebook of him coloring at a nursery school table in Tel Aviv with his two-year-old daughter Shira, the youngest of his four biological children, who he raises along with his step-children from his wife, newscaster Geula Even-Sa’ar.“A day of new beginnings – good luck to all of Israel’s children,” Sa’ar wrote.
Zionist Union MK Eitan Cabel said he was emotional about accompanying Shira, the youngest of his four daughters, to school in Rosh Ha’ayin.“The entire Shabbat, I felt my heart beat, while worrying and while thoughts kept entering my mind,” Cabel said. “How will my daughter get along with the other children in her class and her wonderful teacher? Will she succeed to learn and read, and other concerns shared by parents worried about their children.”Yisrael Beytenu MK Yulia Malinovski was similarly emotional about bringing her daughter Rona to first grade in Holon.“My Rona has started on the path to a great life,” she wrote on Twitter. “Today, we celebrate with the children. Tomorrow, we get back to fixing problems.”Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin, who moved to the city this summer to run for mayor, took his son Ariel to third grade at his new school in the Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood and talked about how “Jerusalem’s teachers are wonderful.”Likud MK Sharren Haskel spoke to students at high school in Kfar Saba that she attended. She told the students to “aim high and never stop dreaming big dreams.”Yesh Atid MK Pnina Tamano-Shata brought her son to first grade and then went to a demonstration by parents at a nursery school in Bnei Brak that was on strike.“When I stand here, I am ashamed,” Tamano-Shata said.
