The Fellowship recently commissioned a survey that asked parents with school age children living in northern Israel and border communities about the start of the 2025-2026 school year. The findings showed a great need for school supplies, and more attention to how the ongoing war is affecting children’s academic and social wellbeing.
Of the 109 respondents, 38% said they expect to cut back on educational expenses like school trips and extracurricular activities. Meanwhile, 17% said they are forced to forgo basic supplies like school bags, and even lunches.
In wake of these findings, The Fellowship’s annual back-to-school support for Israeli children and their families comes in the form of more than 12,000 debit cards for Kravitz supply stores that will allow families to purchase essential school supplies. The Fellowship also plans to distribute similar cards to 700 olim, immigrants, beginning the school year in their new home of Israel.
“Israeli students are starting the upcoming school year amid a challenging period,” said Yael Eckstein, president and Global CEO of The Fellowship. “For the last two years, they have needed to huddle in bomb shelters with ongoing threats from multiple directions.”
“Amazingly, our children bravely faced and continue to face these challenges, but their spirits most certainly need raising. These students are the future generation of the State of Israel, and investing in them is the way to ensure a better society for all of us. And so, for needy Israeli families, in addition to The Fellowship’s assistance with the most basic needs of food and clothing, we will also assist these parents in purchasing school supplies for their children.”
