The beginning of the school year was always an exciting time. There was always a slight letdown when vacation ended, but the air was filled with anticipation. School supplies. Markers. Bic pens. Colorful notebooks. New shoes. The thrill of moving up a grade. I was no longer a lowly (fill-in-the-blank)th grader. I was someone big, someone who deserved respect.
Alongside the excitement, though, came small worries. Would I like my teachers? Would they give too many tests, too much homework, and too little recess? Would Red Rover be the go-to game during recess? Would it rain on Lag BaOmer again? Would I once again be forced to stand at the front of the class line because I was short?
These worries did not keep me up at night, at least not that I remember. Looking back now as a mother and grandmother, with innocence and naïveté long behind me, I realize that those were truly carefree days. My concerns were small and manageable, age-appropriate bumps and hurdles, rites of passage that are a normal part of life. They were easily pushed aside by the fun I had with friends. Life was good.
Here in Israel, children also enjoy a meaningful start to the new school year. The whole country wishes them well on their first day. “Shalom, Kitah Alef!” (“Hello, First Grade”) marks the transition from gan (kindergarten) to Kitah Alef. The moment is celebrated with ceremony and songs, welcoming children into structured learning. Naomi Shemer, the renowned Israeli musician and songwriter who wrote Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, composed a famous children’s song called Shalom, Kitah Alef, reassuring children as they begin this new stage.
The Shalom, Kitah Alef tradition even found its way into the financial realm. On the old 200-shekel bill, alongside a picture of Zalman Shazar, Israel’s third president, there is a small illustration of a teacher writing “Shalom, Kitah Alef” on the blackboard. This tribute reflects Shazar’s work as Israel’s first Minister of Education, when he initiated the Compulsory Education Law.
The excitement of the beginning of the school year is now at its peak, with 2.3 million students returning to school, including 180,600 entering First Grade. Yet, many children starting school are facing challenges that are far from age-appropriate. Their hurdles are not small at all. Some have lost family members in the October 7 attack and the ensuing war. Some are less concerned about tests than whether their fathers will return safely from the front. Some don’t worry about having strict teachers but about relatives trapped underground, deep in the tunnels in Gaza. Will they ever return? Some children who were evacuated from their homes don’t worry about what they will do during recess but about when, or if, they will ever return home. Many children lost their innocence and naïveté at a very young and tender age. These are not carefree days.
The war touches every aspect of life, including the opening of the school year. Tzvika Mor is the father of Eitan Mor, currently held in Gaza, and the founder of the Hope Forum, a group of hostage families that emphasizes the importance of the nation and state over the life of any individual, even if that individual is a loved one. He requested that parents, teachers, and children come to school on the first day wearing white shirts and carrying the Israeli flag. The flag is meant to envelop the bereaved families, widows, orphans, the wounded, and evacuees who have not yet returned home. It will lift them with a message: Am Yisrael Chai! We will not give up. We will win!
To mark the start of the school year during wartime, the Military Rabbinate produced a tribute song for soldiers’ wives, Notnim Yadayim (“Holding Hands”). The song was written by Racheli Moskowitz, the wife of a reservist, and composed by Elnatan Shalom, who is himself a reservist. The song mirrors the dual realities of life at home and on the front:
“You load the cannon; I load the groceries.” “You focus on the mission; I focus on praying.” “You’re scanning the battlefield, and I’m scanning the baby.” “We are both fighting to hold onto faith.”
May we soon return to normal life challenges. Please continue to daven for the recovery of the wounded, the safe return of the hostages, the success and protection of our chayalim and all security personnel, and for the safety of all of am Yisrael.
Suzie Steinberg, (nee Schapiro), CSW, is a native of Kew Gardens Hills and resident of Ramat Beit Shemesh who publishes articles regularly in various newspapers and magazines about life in general, and about life in Israel in particular. Her recently published children’s book titled Hashem is Always With Me can be purchased in local Judaica stores as well as online. Suzie can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and would love to hear from you.
