Schools in Kiryat Shmona reopened on Sunday morning, nearly 16 months after they were evacuated because of Israel's war against Hezbollah.
In spite of the celebrations, many residents and public workers accused Education Minister Yoav Kisch of rushing the return, claiming it was too quick and disorganized.
Kisch arrived to cut the ceremonial ribbon for the school opening, but Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern chose not to accompany him. This led to an outburst from a Kiryat Shmona municipality assistant to the education minister, which resulted in his arrest.
In addition to refusing to accompany the minister, Stern criticized his conduct as well.
"Usually, ministers come only to cut ribbons for hard work. In this case, not only was there no hard work, but everything was done to interfere with us," Stern claimed.
"In the end, he also invited himself. I want to hope that Minister Kisch will stop with the politics, and after he truly works for the students of Kiryat Shmona, I will be happy to invite him to cut the ribbons," he added.
Stern further claimed that the system is not yet fully ready to support students and their parents. According to him, informal education systems, community centers, municipal services, and commercial life have not yet returned to a functioning level, and it is not right to operate the education system when the overall environment is not yet ready to receive students.
Half of Kiryat Shmona's students returned to study in the city
The municipality and the parents' committee filed a petition to the High Court of Justice requesting that students complete the current school year in their temporary schools, but the court has not yet responded to the petition.
"Dozens, if not hundreds of students remain without a framework," said Golan Buchris, chairman of the Kiryat Shmona municipal parents' committee, who returned to the city after nearly a year and a half in Eilat.
"We suggested waiting until July. The mental state of the students is concerning. There are no psychologists or emotional therapists who can help them. We are in a constant shortage, and the Education Ministry has not addressed this," Buchris added.
"Minister Kisch is sidelining the municipality. There is no cooperation, everything is political, and we feel sorry for our children. Today is festive, but with a lot of sadness behind it. We see a failure of the system. I am embarrassed that my children are learning in an education system run by these people."
A significant part of the preparations were done with the help of many volunteers from around the country who spent several weeks in Kiryat Shmona.
According to Simcha Edri, a teacher at Danziger School and volunteer coordinator in Kiryat Shmona, "The education system opened this morning thanks to the people of Israel who embraced us and helped hand in hand, making it clear that Kiryat Shmona is also our homeland."