A crowd estimated at between 60,000 to 100,000 gathered at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv Saturday evening to pressure the government to end the 5-week high school teachers' strike. The teachers demand a wage hike.
At the rally, many high school students and parents carried signs which read, "Without education there is no future," "The educational system is bleeding – the government is in a coma," and "An entire nation demands education."
"We are launching a social struggle for a welfare state," Secondary School Teachers' Union boss Ran Erez said in his speech, parts of which were transmitted live to television viewers. "Education is closing gaps, taking care of violence, alcoholism, drugs, draft dodging and all of the bad things happening in the country. It's too bad the government doesn't understand this. It's too bad the Prime Minister doesn't understand this. The earth is shaking. This volcano is about to erupt."
One of the ways the teachers' leaders brought demonstrators was the enlistment of popular singers for the cause. Pop idols like singer-songwriters Ivri Lider and Keren Peles, and rapper Mooki, were scheduled to appear before the crowd in the centrally located square which hosts most of Tel Aviv's larger protests.
"No less important than national security"
"The educational system is bleeding – the government is in a coma."
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Chuldai, a former school principal, addressed the protesters and said: "What Ben Gurion understood has been forgotten. Education is not a simple task and is no less important than national security."
Eli Cohen, the man in charge of salaries in the Finance Ministry, also showed up for the protest – a surprising, some might say even courageous move. He told TV channel 10 news that he feels completely at home in the striking crowd because three of his four sisters are teachers. Cohen spoke proudly of the impending changes in the secondary school education system as a reform that will be similar to the one carried out last year in the elementary schools, which involved a large pay hike for teachers.
Taking a placating approach, Cohen did not threaten to turn to the court and have it issue back-to-work orders for the teachers, who are now at day 34 of their strike.
"Failure will be mine, and I will pay the price"
Speaking before the strike in an interview before an audience in Holon, Minister of Education Yuli Tamir (Labor) said that the winter "bagrut" matriculation exams would not be canceled. "Some people think a politician is measured by how loudly he shouts," she said. "This is not my way. I obtained over 10 billion shekels for the education system, more than all of the table-turners." Tamir took responsibility for the reform in the educational system and said: "If this move fails, the failure will be mine and I will pay the price."
MK Ophir Pines (Labor) called upon Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik to apply "parliamentary sanctions" on the government because of the prolonged education strike. Pines said the Knesset should cease debating government bills, including the budget, as a means of pressuring the government to end the strike.