An open letter from President Isaac Herzog to Israel’s teachers

Dear teachers,

This moment, the beginning of a new school year, is always exciting, even exhilarating. It is a moment when everything is open. Open to our concerns, to various uncertainties – especially in a year like this, in the shadow of the COVID-19 crisis and fears of infections, lockdowns, and quarantine.

But it is also open to opportunities: to the new relationships that will be forged with your pupils, to unique encounters with young boys and girls struggling with individual difficulties, to enlightening discussions in vibrant classrooms.

The opportunities are endless!

In just a few moments, you will meet our children and launch a new year in which you will give them not only knowledge but also tools that will help them believe in themselves, grow and develop, and fulfill their dreams.

But looking through a wider lens, the immense opportunity that you have been given is to shape – with your own hands – the future generation of Israelis: the scientists and doctors who will defeat the next pandemics, the athletes who will make us proud at future Olympics, the artists and intellectuals who will tell the story of this land, the military commanders who will lead whatever battles come our way, the leaders who will head this country, and indeed, the teachers and educators who will shape the generation after the next generation.

The damage that the coronavirus pandemic has inflicted on Israel’s children over the past year is not limited to educational inequalities. This topsy-turvy year has threatened to cut our children off from our story, from the story of their local communities and Israeli society. This is the story that you tell our children every single day, in words and in deed. It is the story about the values and beliefs that keep us together and make us strong and cohesive, despite all the trials and tribulations.

Thank you to all of you, Israel’s teachers, for your hard work, long hours, and above all – your good intentions, your fine spirit, your eagle eyes and open hearts. In your hands, we entrust the most precious charge of all. We are entrusting you with our future. And we know that we can count on you.

And as for you, dear pupils: don’t give up. Keep dreaming. Believe in yourselves. Give your teachers the strength to believe in you, to hold your hand.

From the President’s Residence, I send my best wishes for a productive school year, a year of discovery, a year of friendship, a year of happiness and health.