Alcohol, threats and humiliation: the 'Zubor' tradition of high school seniors is getting out of control

In recent years, a distorted tradition has developed in high schools across the country: 12th-grade students celebrate the night before the start of the school year with a party that lasts until the morning, sometimes with alcohol, and at eight in the morning they appear at the school gate armed with water balloons, eggs, and sometimes diapers with excrement. The target is the younger students, who are forced to undergo a humiliating 'Zubor' ritual on their way to class, which has become an almost permanent part of the start of the school year in some schools.

Ahead of September 1st, the name of a high school in Be'er Sheva has come up in recent days after students from the upper grades allegedly sent messages to younger students about the possibility that they would 'kidnap' them and abuse them as part of the same 'Zubor' ritual. The messages caused concern among parents at the school and resurfaced a phenomenon that is also known in other cities and towns.

Moti Geller, chairman of the municipal parents' leadership in Be'er Sheva, called for increased enforcement. 'We are in a battle for consciousness,' he told Walla. 'The municipal parents' leadership strongly condemns violence of any kind, and even more so such initiated violence. We demand that the ministries of welfare, education, and national security, and law enforcement authorities take a firm hand against these phenomena.'

According to him, along with enforcement, long-term professional rehabilitation is also required. 'We don't want a point-based treatment, a significant and consistent treatment is needed. Without it, we won't be able to solve the problem, and furthermore, they will grow up and become a bigger problem.'

Geller believes that imposing administrative fines on parents in appropriate cases should also be examined. 'Until the age of 18, our children are in our custody. There will be enforcement, there will be deterrence, and then there will be a consciousness that says: here we cannot do whatever we want.'

He sees the extreme phenomena as an expression of a broader problem of boredom, social pressure, and a desire to belong. Among other things, he mentioned various online games as well as the game 'Super Nehorai', where the player performs tasks and accumulates 'respect' and 'wasa' (prestige). According to him, teenagers are required to be bolder and more dangerous to gain social status, while the authorities are content with 'putting out fires' instead of building a long-term plan.

The creators of the game strongly rejected the attempt to link it to the 'Zubor' threats. 'This is a broad social phenomenon that began before the game's release, and there is no connection between it and 'Super Nehorai',' they told Walla. 'The phenomenon does not originate in the game, was not created as a result of it, and does not receive any expression in it. There is no content, visual representation, mechanics, task, or interaction in the game that simulates the phenomenon, presents it as legitimate, or encourages it in any form.'

In the parents' leadership in Be'er Sheva, they are trying to deal with the violence also through a 'parents' patrol,' a volunteer body operating in cooperation with the municipal education department. Parents patrol on weekends in places where teenagers gather, talk to them, and are in contact with security and welfare agencies.

Ido Greenblum, head of the Kiryat Tiv'on council, had to deal with the phenomenon extensively last year. Following events at the ORT school in the town, an entire grade was sent home. 'This phenomenon is unfortunately present all over the country,' he told Walla. 'It's always a dilemma, because not the whole grade is to blame but a handful, but it's an educational matter that forces us to get our hands dirty.'

According to him, 'It cannot be that there is abuse of the small by the big. 'Zubor' is not accepted in the IDF, and certainly it has no place in high school.' This year, the council wants to replace the tradition with a festive day shared by parents and students, the content of which will be led by the school.

Sheli Keren, chair of the Association of Education Department Directors in Local Authorities, explains that schools are trying to increase adult presence by deploying teachers in courtyards, safety instructors, and if necessary, security personnel. 'We saw violence in the summer also in youth movement camps and on the streets. There is something systemic here.'

According to data from Bar-Ilan University, there is a 50% increase in reports from students that they are victims of bullying and harassment, and the Knesset's Research and Information Center points to a 26% increase in the number of teenagers who have had criminal files opened against them.

In the police, they also identify a change in the severity of the events. Superintendent Yuval Revivo said that a decrease in the number of files does not necessarily indicate a decrease in crime. 'When you don't deal enough with youth, there are no files. Enforcement alone will not help.'

Aryeh Barnea, former director of the Makif Yehud high school and currently chairman of the Council for Educational Leadership, argues that behind the eggs, paint, and flour that are presented as 'laughter' hides a deeper phenomenon. 'The important question is why this tradition continues,' he told Walla. 'It is related to the pleasure that some people derive from the humiliation of someone else. 'Zubor' is an extreme phenomenon, but it is part of an atmosphere and a general culture.'

The Ministry of Education stated: 'The Ministry of Education monitors social phenomena in the physical and digital space. The described acts such as 'Zubor' are acts of violence that are unacceptable and are handled with the educational and disciplinary tools available to schools. The 'Kol LeKulam' *6312 hotline is also available to students, staffed by professionals from the psychological-counseling service.'