Displaced Israeli students start a new school year in the shadow of war

As children around the world are starting a new school year, some are returning in the shadow of war. More than 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from the northern border because of Hezbollah attacks. Nick Schifrin and producer Karl Bostic report on some of those students who are now attending classes in Tel Aviv. Our next report will focus on life for school-aged children in Gaza.

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Amna Nawaz: Children around the world are starting a new school year, some of them in the shadow of war. More than 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from the country’s northern border because of the risk of rockets from Lebanese Hezbollah.

And residents of Kiryat Shmona now live in hundreds of towns across Israel. That includes Tel Aviv, where young students this week went back to school, even if they can’t go back home.

Nick Schifrin has the story with producer Karl Bostic.

Nick Schifrin: It is a rite of passage with an armed escort, students arriving on the first day of school after summer vacation, reuniting with old friends, and making new ones with new teachers and 9-year-old twins Adele and Emma Azulay, and their mother, Leanna.

But this is not their school, and this city is not their home. They’re the displaced, driven from their houses by war.

Ofer Zafrani, Kiryat Shmona Superintendent: Most of my students, their house was ruined.

Nick Schifrin: Ofer Zafrani is the superintendent of a school system whose teachers and students have been displaced across the country for 11 months. He says the instructors he briefed ahead of their first classes provide students an antidote to war.

Ofer Zafrani: I think the teachers in Israel in general are holding the torch of the hope. They are giving them schedule, something to wake up in the morning, something to do, a goal. All other things are in chaos.

Nick Schifrin: Their home is Kiryat Shmona, hit by Lebanese Hezbollah rockets just yesterday and on 200 separate occasions since Hezbollah opened fire on Northern Israel the day after October 7. It’s the largest town in Northern Israel, right on the Lebanon border, mostly empty since the Israeli government forced residents to leave.

Last weekend, Israel’s military preempted a barrage of Hezbollah rockets and missiles. But some got through and hit homes nearby. A mother and two kids living here escaped at 5:00 a.m., thanks to an early warning with seconds to spare.

Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Anna Ukolov:

Anna Ukolov, Spokesperson, Israeli Defense Forces: You can just imagine. You can see the damage here outside. And you can just imagine what could happen if this rocket was, like, a few centimeters and hit the house inside, OK?

So, the family alive, and everything is OK with them. Just they don’t have a place to live now. They need to look for something else, but they save their life.

Nick Schifrin: The northern communities are patrolled by soldiers whose own families are displaced, including Lt. Col. Dotan Razili.

Lt. Col. Dotan Razili, Israeli Defense Forces: Hopefully, soon, as the war ends, either with an agreement or either by us maneuvering into Lebanon, the civilians will feel safe. Even my family will feel safe and come back and build this community again. But 10 months is a long, long time for a community like this to be empty.

Nick Schifrin: Which has meant the Azulay twins have lived since last October in this rented apartment, distracted by card games, longing for home.

Emma Azulay, 9 Years Old (through interpreter): If the war ends, I want to go back.

Nick Schifrin: That longing is shared by the students’ teachers, who must provide sympathy, despite their own suffering.

David Bubb teaches English.

David Bubb, Displaced English Teacher: Extremely, extremely challenging for all of us, because we don’t really have time to think about ourselves. You know, here at school, we’re not only teachers. We’re psychologists, psychiatrists, mothers, fathers, brothers, anything you can think of.

I’m worried about the students. They went through a really tough year last year. A lot of the kids dropped out of school. And a lot of the kids have got lost.

Nick Schifrin: And so, on the first day of school, they try to recreate their lost community.

Ofer Zafrani: School is not so important to learn, but to be together socially, especially this year that we are separated in all of Israel. This is the most important thing.

Nick Schifrin: Israelis still suffer and live with national trauma from the violence and horror of October the 7th. But schools are trying to teach its lessons, especially to older students who will soon join a military that failed to protect the country or its own soldiers.

Ofer Zafrani: We thought that we have the strongest army in the world. And then October 7 happened. Next year, they are going to go to the army, the same army that was unprepared to the October 7. And we must give them the lesson for what they need to learn from it, not to be arrogant and not repeat the history.

Nick Schifrin: But that lesson plan is being written in real time. And some answers cannot be found in a classroom.

Adele Azulay, 9 Years Old (through interpreter): Now can I ask a question? When can we go back to Kiryat Shmona?

Nick Schifrin: It’s a question not only children ask. It’s also a plea for this rite of passage to end for everyone.

For the “PBS News Hour,” I’m Nick Schifrin.

Amna Nawaz: Tomorrow, Nick and our team in Gaza will look at life for the thousands of school-age children there with no schools to attend.