The school year has begun, but daily Houthi missile launches from Yemen continue, and many Israeli kindergartens still lack protected spaces where teachers and children can shelter.
In an interview on Thursday, parents Tal Gita and Lital Hilman described their fears for their daughters. “Yesterday, during a siren, the staff had nowhere to go. They just crawled under the table, and my daughter was really shaken,” said Gita, who lives in Netanya.
Hilman, whose community in the Binyamin region was struck by interceptor shrapnel from a missile fired the previous day, described her daughter’s distress. “When she hears an ambulance, she says we need to run to the safe room. But when there’s a real siren, and her teacher tells her to lie down with her hands over her head because there’s nowhere to go—that’s trauma. That’s a scar that will stay with her for who knows how long.”
Hilman said parents have tried unsuccessfully to secure a kindergarten with a shelter. “In Hashmonaim, where we live, the regional council says it doesn’t have the budget—even though we pay some of the highest local taxes. However, on the council’s website, you can view new parks, events, and concerts. It’s a matter of priorities,” she said.
“We don’t have the privilege of keeping our kids home or shutting down the schools,” she added. “It’s sad as a state employee to see no responsibility taken for our children’s safety.”
Hilman also voiced frustration that a community with some of the highest reserve enlistment rates is being neglected. “We’ve lost people from this town. My father, a 67-year-old combat engineering officer, is in Gaza right now. How is he supposed to feel knowing his granddaughter has no shelter during a siren? We serve and contribute to the country—where is the council for us when it matters?”
In Netanya, Gita said parents face endless bureaucracy. “The city sends us from one office to another—first to the security officer, then to the Education Ministry. Finally, the city official in charge of education told me, ‘Either move your child to another kindergarten or take it up with the ministry.’ According to the Home Front Command, the official plan is that kids lie on the floor with their hands on their heads. But that damages their mental health.”
In response, the Education Ministry said: “The education system is working to close gaps in protective infrastructure nationwide, using both immediate solutions and long-term plans. Under national defense policy, responsibility for protecting existing buildings—including private schools—lies with the Home Front Command and local authorities.
“The Education Ministry is responsible only for new schools, all of which are built to full shelter standards, co-funded by the ministry and the municipality. Where there are gaps, schools are required to implement the ‘Best Protection Possible’ program and practice drills with staff and students in the first week of the school year. The education system will continue to operate according to Home Front Command directives.”