With the new start of the Israeli school year, a recent study has highlighted the continued impact of the war on families living in the northern border areas. The study revealed that 38% of parents expect to have to cut back on expenses, including school trips and enrichment activities, while 17% are forced to reduce even basic expenses related to school, such as school lunches and classroom supplies.
In the wake of these findings, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) will be distributing its annual back-to-school support for Israel’s needy families with more than 12,000 debit cards worth 300 shekels (about $90) each for use at Kravitz office supply stores.
The survey, conducted by Geocartography Group’s Professor Avi Dagani and Rina Dagani, and commissioned by the Fellowship, showed that as many as 48% of parents surveyed say they feel stressed about expenses for the new school year, while 34% said those concerns have been significantly exacerbated since the events of Oct. 7, 2023.
Some 46% of parents said that their children are exhibiting signs of anxiety, and 28% said that current events directly impact their children’s academic and social abilities. Notably, nearly one-third of the parents surveyed say that they sense a clear feeling of loneliness and social isolation, with that same feeling conveyed by as many as 41% of families that were evacuated from their homes.
The vast majority of those who answered affirmatively regarding that feeling of isolation said those emotions have grown stronger over the course of the war.
The study is based on a survey conducted online and via telephone in August 2025 among 109 parents of school-aged children from the north and border communities, and against the backdrop of war and the return of residents to their homes after having been evacuated.
“Israeli students are starting the upcoming school year amid a challenging period,” said Yael Eckstein, president and CEO of IFCJ. “For the last two years, they have needed to huddle in bomb shelters with ongoing threats from multiple directions.”
She continued: “Amazingly, our children bravely faced and continue to face these challenges, but their spirits most certainly need raising. These students are the future generation of the State of Israel, and investing in them is the way to ensure a better society for all of us. And so, for needy Israeli families, in addition to the Fellowship’s assistance with the most basic needs of food and clothing, we will also assist these parents in purchasing school supplies for their children.”
The Fellowship-Kravitz debit cards will be distributed via 32 nonprofit organizations around the country, working with families and children in need in order for them to purchase school supplies. In addition, IFCJ will be distributing similar cards to 700 new immigrants ready to begin school in their new home.
“We, and our hundreds of thousands of donors to The Fellowship, will do everything we can to ensure that these children succeed in their studies,” said Eckstein.
