The Working Parents for Change organization sent a letter Tuesday to Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Education Minister Shai Piron calling to resume school immediately after holidays rather than giving a day of post-holiday vacation.
They termed the post-holiday “isru chag” vacation day “the most unnecessary vacation in existence.”
“The state has forgotten us,” the letter read. “They forgot that we are also parents to children, and working parents. They forgot that it is important to us not only to educate our children, but to support them financially.
“They forgot that it’s been a few generations since just one partner would go out to work, while the other would stay home to raise the children.”
The organization argued that most workers get 10-20 vacation days a year, while most children get 76 vacation days per year, leaving parents struggling to close the gap. “’Grandma babysitter’ is always a nice solution, but cannot be the basis for government policy,” the letter stated.
“Anyway, it isn’t always possible anymore, in a world where grandmothers and grandfathers, too, work on a regular basis.”
The letter-writers stressed that their criticism is not aimed at teachers “who work day and night to help educate our children.” Teachers “must not be the ones to pay the price,” they said.
“We’re all creative people. A framework for our children (not necessarily formally educational, but any regular framework) is essential, and can come in various and creative forms,” they added. “This is a national interest for all citizens of Israel.”