Passover Greeting

Our dear friends, women of WIZO.

The approaching Passover holiday marks the oldest event we commemorate as a people — our transformation into a free and self-reliant nation 3,337 years ago. But the journey to freedom is not a single event, rather an ongoing struggle that has continued from then until today, a long journey between hopes, threats, and a survival instinct as a people, not just as individuals. Only by looking at this historical continuum can we appreciate our place on the timeline and our great responsibility to continue carrying the ancient torch of generations even today.

Amid the various storms surrounding us, the Israeli Knesset approved the state budget for 2025 at the end of the month, and those who expected good news in early childhood education were disappointed once again. Exactly 23 months ago, the Israeli government, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Education, presented its extensive and promising plan for rehabilitating early childhood education, even mentioning “free education under age 3.” Even if the plan wasn’t perfect, it at least conveyed a message that the country’s leaders are aware of the problem and interested in solving it.

Indeed, the problem of early childhood education in Israel is difficult and troubling, manifested by the fact that almost 40% of children in these age groups stay at home and do not attend any educational framework. The workforce is insufficient, salaries are low, and the state’s investment per toddler is 18% of their needs, compared to an average of 71% in the European Union. Those who pay the price are first and foremost the parents, but not only them: staff are collapsing, private entrepreneurs are deterred, toddlers do not receive ideal conditions, and supervised networks are forced to raise supplementary resources for renovations and additional investments that would not be possible otherwise.

Almost two years have passed since these promises, and almost nothing remains of them. The situation in early childhood education is worse than before, the promises have been almost completely abandoned, and the newly approved budget is the final stamp on freezing the situation and abandoning the idea for years to come. Above all, this budget is a declaration that the country’s leaders, while aware of the problem, are not at all interested in solving it.

We began with our sacred commitment to the strength of our people and their ability to face future challenges, and this also summarizes the matter: despite all the objective difficulties, we at WIZO will continue to stand in the breach and do everything in our power to compensate for the government’s abdication of responsibility. We will continue with our own strength and resources to keep the ember burning, for the sake of children, their parents, and Israeli society as a whole.

On this occasion, we wish all our friends a happy Passover, complete freedom, a flourishing spring, and most importantly: let us remember how fortunate we are for the spring and freedom, and for the privilege of celebrating Passover in security and abundance.

With great thanks and appreciation to all our partners,

Anat Vidor, World WIZO President

Anita Friedman,  World WIZO Chairperson