The letter, an initiative started by Neve Yaakov's parent teacher association (PTA), begs Netanyahu to reconsider the recent classification of the neighborhood as "orange," which would mean that schools will need to close again after reopening only a week ago.
"The Neve Yaakov neighborhood in Jerusalem is characterized by a high percentage of children who cannot get vaccinated yet, and still, last week the neighborhood was classified as 'yellow,' thanks to the consistent efforts by the neighborhood's rabbis... to encourage people to get vaccinated," the letter read.
"As a result, the neighborhood's schools were reopened on Sunday. However, morbidity rates have since risen a little bit, and in the past two days have been decreasing again. Nonetheless, on Wednesday the neighborhood was designated 'orange' once again and yesterday, it changed to 'light orange.'"
However, according to the Israeli "Traffic Light" program for combating the coronavirus, schools in Neve Yaakov will need to close again, despite morbidity rates gradually decreasing and the neighborhood being on the borderline between 'light orange' and 'yellow.'
In a desperate attempt to have their voices heard, the neighborhood's PTA met late last night for an emergency meeting in order to appeal and ask the Israeli government to reconsider its decision.
"Our children, who only went back to school last week and barely had time to get used to it, and us, parents who finally went back to work this week, and are now forced to return home while the morbidity rates do not justify it - all call on the Israeli government to come to its senses and to prevent the unjustified closing of our children's' schools," the letter concluded.