After Jerusalem Tragedy, Knesset Demands Crackdown on "Pirate" Daycares
Following the tragic deaths of two infants in an unlicensed Jerusalem daycare, three Knesset committees held an emergency joint hearing. Lawmakers warned that a lack of oversight, low wages, and legal loopholes have left 100,000 Israeli toddlers in "pirate" facilities without any protection.
In an unprecedented joint session, three top Knesset committees convened today to address the "wild west" of unregulated daycares following the horrific death of two infants in a Jerusalem nursery.
The Labor and Welfare, Education, and Child Rights committees met on Monday to discuss the systemic failures that allowed an unlicensed facility in Jerusalem’s Romora neighborhood to operate without oversight. The tragedy claimed the lives of six-month-old Ari Katz and three-month-old Lia Goloventzitz.
Education Minister Yoav Kisch addressed the committees, acknowledging that "pirate" daycares are a decades-old phenomenon. "I do not have the information or the authority to walk into a random apartment in a neighborhood and check if there are children inside," Kisch admitted, emphasizing that without a combined effort between the police, local government, and the State Attorney, the Ministry of Education cannot solve the issue alone.
Kisch noted that since oversight was transferred to his ministry, thousands of daycares have registered, but thousands more remain in the "free market" because the current law only requires supervision for facilities with more than seven children.
The chairs of the committees expressed deep frustration, characterizing the current situation as a disaster waiting to happen.