As Israel marks 600 days since the outbreak of the “Operation Iron Swords” war, the country is observing National Reserve Appreciation Day today (Wednesday). According to the Ministry of Education, around 10% of students across Israel’s education system currently have at least one parent serving in the reserves. This includes more than 250,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
To mark the occasion, the Ministry of Education distributed lesson plans to be used during classroom homeroom hours, aimed at introducing students to the importance of reserve duty and its vital role in ensuring the security of the State of Israel. The Ministry also sent a letter to educators emphasizing the need to provide guidance and emotional support to students and families in which a parent has been called up for extended reserve service, to help them cope with the challenges that come with prolonged parental absence.
According to a report by Tamar Trabelsi Hadad, the schools with the highest percentage of parents currently serving in the reserves include:
- Tamar School in the Jordan Valley (83%)
- Susiya School in the South Hebron Hills (79%)
- Ohel Shiloh boys’ and girls’ schools in Binyamin (69%)
- Yakir School in Samaria (61%)
- Orim School in Alei Zahav (61%)
- Golan School in Hispin (61%)
- Shaked DarKa School in Emek Hamaayanot (50%)
- Lavie School in the Upper Galilee (47%)
Support in Schools
Back in February 2024—about four months after the war began—the Ministry of Education issued a Director General’s directive to schools and kindergartens, instructing staff to provide ongoing support to students whose parents are absent due to reserve or career military service. The directive emphasizes the importance of assessing and responding to students’ academic, emotional, and social needs on an individual basis. The aim of the support—provided both by teaching staff and by professionals from the Educational Psychological Service—is to help students navigate the complex reality they face and to strengthen their sense of security and personal resilience.
Additionally, ahead of National Reserve Appreciation Day, the Ministry of Education’s Youth and Society Administration invested 6 million shekels in social programming for children of reserve and career soldiers across 200 municipalities nationwide.
“This is the kind of education that shapes the future”
Minister of Education Yoav Kisch stated:
“On this day of appreciation for our reserve forces, the education system salutes the reservists—parents, siblings, teachers, principals, and everyone close to the students within the school environment—who answer the call time and again, quietly and with a deep sense of national responsibility. When children see their loved ones going off to serve, they don’t just miss them. They learn what dedication means, what commitment looks like, and what it is to love the land. This is the kind of education that shapes the future.”
