A central part of the rebuilding: The teachers who decided to leave the center for the sake of rehabilitating the northern communities
A special incentive plan is being offered to teaching staff who will begin teaching in the confrontation line communities in the north in the coming year, but for some teachers, the choice to arrive precisely in a place that suffered destruction and severe damage is first and foremost an ideological statement. "Mainly to provide a horizon and hope for the children, who did not choose anything from the situation they found themselves in."
"In Tel Aviv, children who hear the word 'Lebanon' think it's some kind of monster. In Metula, children look at Lebanon and see clouds. That is my hope, to remind that this war is something that in the end does not have the same intensity in their eyes." This is how Ofra Ehrlich explains her decision to leave Tel Aviv and move to live and teach in Metula, as a 1st-2nd grade educator at the "HaNadiv" school.
For Ehrlich, the choice to arrive precisely at the moshav at the tip of the Galilee finger, which suffered destruction and severe damage during the war, is first and foremost an ideological statement and a value-based choice. She seeks to be a central part of the rebuilding process, and mainly to give the children who returned to their homes a sense of security, an anchor, and a horizon. "The desire is to build something anew following the war, following the security situation, and mainly to provide a horizon and hope for these children, who did not choose anything from the situation they found themselves in," she shares.
The unique learning conditions in the recovering moshav allow for creating a personalized framework: "We have 14 children in the class - it's the dream of every teacher, child, and parent. And yet, we are first and foremost giving an anchor to these children. Before all the pedagogy and the ABCs, let's first be here, together." However, it should be remembered that the privilege of few students in the class is a result of the reality of the war - only 36 students registered for the school; on the eve of the war, 83 children studied there.
Metula is marking 130 years since its founding this year. The "HaNadiv" school is a historic educational institution that is 122 years old. Shortly before the war, work was completed on building new structures at the school. However, during the war, the educational institution suffered a direct hit from an anti-tank missile and sustained heavy damage. In recent months, in parallel with the community's preparation for returning, the building underwent extensive renovation, and it is now ready to receive the students again. Since the residents began returning to Metula, the moshav's children studied in the neighboring kibbutz, Kfar Giladi. In the first stage, the school will begin its path in a growing format and will provide a response for students in grades 1 through 6.
Ehrlich's story is not unique, and it embodies one of the central challenges in rehabilitating the northern communities: returning residents to their homes is conditional on strong, stable, and maintained public systems, with the education system standing at the heart of the effort.
A similar story is the story of Yuval Sharon, who moved from Moshav Moledet in the Gilboa Regional Council to Shlomi to work as a kindergarten teacher in special education. "I really love education and have been working in it since I was 14," she says. The move to a border line community required her to adapt to a completely different reality and distance from home, but the feeling that there is a real need for staff members is what led her to this step: "I think it's very important, because not everyone wants to move - it's not simple to live in a different reality. They are looking for many staff members, and I can give of myself."
To encourage additional teaching staff to follow in the footsteps of Ehrlich and Sharon, a special incentive plan was formulated offering a grant of 60,000 shekels to new teaching staff who will begin teaching in the 2026/27 school year in educational institutions in the confrontation line communities in the north. The plan is a result of cooperation between the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, and the "Tnufa LaTzafon" (Momentum for the North) administration, and it is funded from the administration's budgets as part of the government's decision for the rehabilitation and growth of the region. The grant is intended for teachers and principals who will work in educational institutions located up to nine kilometers from the border. The employees themselves can reside up to 30 kilometers from the border. Special emphasis is given to subjects where there is a severe shortage of manpower, such as mathematics, English, computers, physics, biology, chemistry, technological and therapeutic subjects, kindergarten teaching, and educational counseling.
Aviad Friedman, head of the Tnufa LaTzafon and Tkuma administration, emphasizes the importance of the step: "Investment in education is one of the cornerstones of the Tnufa LaTzafon plan for the growth and strengthening of the communities. We are working together with the Ministry of Education with the goal of encouraging the absorption of new teachers who will move to live in the north and provide a response for the children of the Galilee, alongside support for informal education, infrastructure, and the establishment of 16 new centers of excellence. All these constitute a significant basis for meeting the goal set by the administration - the absorption of one hundred thousand new residents within a decade."
