The Israeli Education Ministry headquarters. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The Israeli Education Ministry has decided to dedicate the first two weeks of this school year, which begins Sept. 1, to Operation Protective Edge and its aftermath.

Schools and kindergartens nationwide have been instructed to incorporate various activities aimed at addressing the students’ emotional needs, with the hope of easing them back into the school year after a war-marred summer.

In particular, schools in communities adjacent to the Israel-Gaza border have been instructed to pay special attention to the psychological impact the fighting has had on children, many of whom were essentially forced to leave their homes for the duration of the military campaign.

Meanwhile, Kibbutz Nahal Oz has decided to fortify the two kindergartens it operates by surrounding them with security walls.

“When we considered the events of the recent weeks and the things that happened during the fighting, especially the fact that almost everyone had to leave Nahal Oz, fortifying these two kindergartens became our primary concern,” a resident of the kibbutz told Israel Hayom.