Hundreds of Israeli students and young people took to the streets and university campuses around the country last Thursday to protest the lack of government assistance during the steep economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. NIF grantee Omdim Beyachad (Standing Together) in coordination with numerous student organizations organized the demonstrations, under the banner of “Free Education for Everybody.”

An estimated 51% of students have lost their jobs during the crisis, and no longer able to afford to continue studying, hundreds of students have been forced to drop out of courses. While many of the largest businesses in the Israeli economy have received billions of shekels in government assistance to help them survive the crisis, the government and academic institutions have not provided meaningful relief to struggling students.