Gush Etzion School Eviction: 100 Students Without Classes

The new school year began under difficult circumstances in Gush Etzion, a cluster of Israeli settlements south of Jerusalem, where approximately 100 students at a local Talmud Torah found themselves without classrooms. The crisis erupted after the Gush Etzion Regional Council removed the school's educational equipment overnight—a move that has sparked an open conflict between the institution's administration and local authorities.

According to school officials, the crisis was imposed from above without providing adequate alternatives. "The council evacuated the classrooms of 100 children at night, the same classrooms it had allocated to them a year ago, without offering any real alternative," the administration stated.

The eviction took place under dramatic circumstances, according to the Talmud Torah administration's account. A meeting was held yesterday at 7:00 PM during which various threats were made demanding the school vacate the premises. After the principal left the location at 11:30 PM, council personnel arrived and removed all equipment in what the school describes as a forceful manner.

"This was done under cover of darkness," a source in the administration said. "After we left the premises at night, they came and cleared everything out. In the morning, the students arrived to find empty classrooms."

The school administration has leveled serious accusations against the regional council. According to their claims, the council is shirking institutional responsibility by arguing that as an "exempt" institution, a category in Israeli education referring to ultra-Orthodox schools that operate independently of the state system, it bears no responsibility. School officials argue this stance abandons duties that other local authorities accept for all their residents.

"The Talmud Torah administration conducted thorough fieldwork and proposed countless alternatives throughout the Gush settlements," they claim, "but the council repeatedly rejected every proposal ... The council's claim about allocating space in Bat Ayin was firmly refuted by the local community council, which strongly opposes it due to concerns about harming the local school."

Council officials responded sharply to the accusations, presenting an entirely different picture of events:

"Education in Gush Etzion is diverse, and the council is responsible for all schools," the response stated. However, Talmud Torah Chinuch B'Emunah is an 'exempt' institution, and the responsibility for finding a building rests with the organization managing the school.

Going beyond what was required, the Gush Etzion Regional Council allocated to the Talmud Torah for one year only, the 5786 school year [2025-2026], a section within an official school. It was clear to the Talmud Torah administration that this was for one year only and that they needed to find a new location for the 5787 school year."

The council added: "[We] allocated and offered in April a plot of approximately four dunams [one acre] in one of the Gush settlements, but the Talmud Torah administration refused to move there."

Regarding the eviction itself, the council said: "After numerous requests for evacuation that were not answered by the school administration, the equipment was removed and stored in a designated container ... The council still offers the designated space, and the education department is helping to locate a site for the 5787 school year."

Either way, approximately 100 students found themselves this week facing educational uncertainty, as both sides continue to blame each other for responsibility for the crisis.