Education minister scraps some Passover camps after Iran cluster bomb hits daycare

Decision comes a day after central Israel mayors slammed ministry for permitting camps to take place even in cities where in-person teaching hasn’t returned amid Iran war

Education Minister Yoav Kisch on Saturday announced he was canceling Passover camps at schools in 18 municipalities in central Israel after a cluster bomb fired by Iran hit an empty daycare in Rishon Lezion.

The daycare, which was closed for the weekend, was one of several sites hit by cluster munitions in Rishon Lezion Saturday morning, without any injuries reported.

Standing alongside Mayor Raz Kinstlich, Kisch told reporters at the daycare that the “Forum of 16,” which comprises 16 mayors and two regional council heads from central Israel, had already recommended canceling the Passover camps before the incident in Rishon Lezion.

“We spoke about the Passover camps issue yesterday and today, how it’s inappropriate and incorrect to open them here. We planned to reach a final decision on Saturday night, but in light of what happened, it was pretty obvious” that the camps shouldn’t open, Kisch said.

Schools in most major cities in Israel have yet to return to in-person education since Israel and the US struck Iran on February 28, triggering a regional war.

Speaking to reporters, Kisch said lower-risk, “yellow” zones have for nearly a week resumed in-person teaching in places where there was proper shelter readily available, whereas in higher-risk “orange” zones — which include northern Israel and the Tel Aviv area — “we’ll wait for the shooting to stop or substantially decrease.”

Kisch’s announcement came just a day after mayors, including those from the Forum of 16, took to social media to criticize his ministry for saying it would allow Passover camps to take place even in cities where schools are still closed, which the mayors said would put children in harm’s way.

The Marker quoted Kisch’s office as saying that the forum had reached a unanimous decision on Thursday not to open the Passover camps, and that the minister decided to endorse the forum’s position after it was presented to him on Friday.

The municipalities represented in the Forum of 16 are Gadera, Rishon Lezion, Rehovot, Holon, Bat Yam, Givatayim, Ramat Gan, Kiryat Ono, Yehud, Kfar Saba, Yehud, Herzliya, Ra’anana, Ramat Hasharon, Hod Hasharon, Ness Ziona and the Drom Hasharon and Sdot Dan regional councils.

Although the municipalities are all in central Israel, their decision will likely influence other municipalities around the country, The Marker said.