The 5780 school year began in Israel on Sunday, September 1, 2019, corresponding to 1 Elul. 2.35 million students returned to state kindergartens, elementary, junior high and high schools in Israel religious and secular public school systems. The Elul zman began as well, as this year, the Hebrew and Gregorian dates coincided.

Tens of thousands of bnei torah have returned to the beis medrash, seen around Eretz Yisrael pulling their suitcases and hat boxes as bein hazmanim comes to an end.

160,000 avreichim and bochrim are reporting for duty, returning to yeshivos and kollels to strengthen Am Yisrael with their limud torah. 8,000 talmidim will enter Yeshiva Gedola, and the mesechtos being studied in the Elul zman include Kiddushim, Gittin, Baba Metzia and Makos in the general seder divided between Chevron and Ponevezh.

A sign appearing in Brisk on Sunday morning is a call for tefilos and limud for a refuah shleima for HaGaon Rav Meshulam Dovid Halevy ben Alta Hendel bsoch cholei am yisrael.

Of the total number of students in the state system, 168,000 little ones entered first grade, and 200,000 teaching staff will be undertaking the responsibility to educate the nation’s young. Israel’s newly-appointed Minister of Education, Rabbi Rafi Peretz, announced this school year will emphasize mutual responsibility and the strengthening of values.

There are 470,000 talmidim in the state chareidi kindergartens and schools, of which 35,000 entered first grade on Sunday. This system has 32,000 teaching staff.

Ohelei Yitzchak Yosef Lubavitch, the Chabad educational network in Israel, also began on Sunday, opening its 86 schools, of which there are four new one for this 5780 school year. In the Chabad network, there are 458 kindergartens (including 18 new ones), 114 first grades and 35,800 students in total.

The Ministry of Education has opened its information line to the public, 1-800-222-003.

The students will have their first day off on September 17th, elections for the 22nd Knesset. Then following days off will be for the Tishrei Yomim Tovim.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem/Photo Credit: BeChadrei Chareidim)