Because of the security situation, the Southern District of the Education Ministry will operate a special program for children in Sderot and the Gaza envelope communities during the length of the Chanukah vacation which starts Monday morning. The quarter-million-shekel program is being funded by a budgetary transfer to the ministry from the Prime Minister's Office.

The program includes educational field trips which will take the children to museums and other places out of the missile scarred communities in addition to Chanukah-related activities within the communities. Those activities include shows, preparation of Chanukiyot [candelabras for the holiday] and sufganiyot [jelly doughnuts], torch runs, bicycle tours and a treasure hunt.