Amal Takes Stong Measures Against School Violance

A wave of shock and sadness swept through the Amal Educational Network after the news broke of a 17-year-old student losing his life to violence at school. In the wake of this tragedy, Amal’s Director General, Karen Tal, attended a national conference grappling with the surge of violence spreading through Israel’s schools. It became clear there that the current crisis does not stop at the boundaries of one community or another – it is a pandemic threatening the fabric of society itself, fueled by growing tensions, two years of war, and widening rifts across the country​

Moved by the urgent need for action, Tal penned a heartfelt letter to all Amal principals, calling on them to shoulder immediate responsibility. She made the case that time cannot be wasted waiting for government policies or law enforcement. Each school and every leader within must commit to taking a visible, active stand, no matter how hard the conversations may be or how drastically daily routines are disrupted. She also arranged an urgent Zoom meeting the day after which brought together Amal’s entire community of school principals. United by grief and resolve, the conversation quickly shifted from mourning to action. Stories and ideas poured forth. They all described the confusion, frustration, and heartbreak their staff and students face too often, with incidents of violence sometimes erupting in places where learning, not conflict, should take center stage.

The discussion acknowledged the complexity of violence in the Arab sector, where community safety has long been a concern. But participants were insistent. No school, whatever its community makeup, can consider itself immuned. Amal’s diversity, straddling both Jewish and Arab communities, is a microcosm of Israeli society, and its schools must become models of respect, dialogue, and shared responsibility.​

Tamar Peled Amir, head of pedagogy at Amal said in her closing remarks that everyone in the Amal community should take responsibilty for the situation and that the fight to combat school violence cannot wait for someone else to take the lead. It belongs, unequivocally, to everyone. The path forward will demand courage and creativity from all corners of the Amal community. But in this moment of shared grief and conviction, a new solidarity was born, a promise that in Amal schools, silence and inaction are not options. Every member of the community, from students to leaders, will be counted among those determined to reclaim schools as places of safety, respect, and hope for every child.