In a move intended to lower the cost of trips for 11th grade
students to the concentration camps in Poland the Education
Ministry decided to shorten the trips by 2-3 days and to
increase the financial-assistance budget from NIS 1 million
to NIS 5 million based on recommendations by a special
committee of inquiry.
In place of the two days curtailed, the students will attend
a seminar at one of the Holocaust education institutions in
Israel, which will be mandatory for all students, including
those who do not take part in the trip abroad. The ministry
also expects a tender scheduled to be issued soon to lower
the cost of the trip from NIS 6,500 to NIS 5,000.
In response to reports on the anticipated changes Yedid, a
parents' organization in Ashkelon waging a campaign to reduce
the price of the trip, called a reduction of NIS 1,000-1,500
"ridiculous," saying it would not help the many students who
want to travel to Poland but whose parents cannot afford a
price tag that may be the equivalent of a month's salary.
"The Education Ministry's conduct regarding the issue of
trips to Poland is an outrage, and the State Comptroller and
the [Knesset] State Control Committee have already been asked
to look into the matter, especially regarding the amount of
grants and assistants available to students," said a Yedid
representative. "There are organizations capable of arranging
the delegations to Poland at much lower prices, but the
Education Ministry insists on making agreements through the
most expensive organizations."
The National Parents' Association has called for a boycott of
the trips following the price increase, saying although it
attaches great importance to connecting students to the
history of the Jewish people, the association will not allow
the trips to become excursions for the rich alone. Fewer than
10% of students are able to take part in the annual
delegations to Poland. Former Education Minister MK Yitzchak
Levy said this is a PR stunt that does not offer any real
solution for students from low-income homes who want to join
the trips. Levy says the trips to Poland are very valuable
since they make an indelible impression on every student who
takes part.
Since 1988 every year thousands of 11th graders have visited
the concentration camps and the ghettos where the Nazis
slaughtered six million Jews. Unfortunately the trips are
associated with problematic behavior since students often
perceive it as a fun trip, which can lead to rowdy behavior
and even damage to the hostels where they stay. Also, kosher
food is not provided and accommodations are not made for
students who request it.
