Students on Strike!

In Israel, it is normal for there to be a strike. It seems that certain workers are often not paid or not paid enough. For instance, high school teachers are having on and off strikes these days. But this post is about university students, most (some 250,000) of whom have not returned to school after their Pesach vacation. A government appointed commission to discuss changes in the education system is reportedly planning on raising college tuition substantially (tuitions in Israel are government regulated) and understandably, students are not happy about this. Thus they have decided to stop going to their classes. The strike is due to enter its 11th day Sunday. You can read more here and here. The college that I'm attending (and graduating from in a month and a half G-dwilling), Machon Lev - Jerusalem College of Technology has joined the National Union of Israeli Students in striking. Here are some pictures of strike signs and strike day activities (from singing and dancing Bezalel students at Kikar Tziyon to a Machon Lev blood drive):

right: higher education is not only for the rich
left: they're dancing on our account

My father is not called Olmert, on a picture of Olmert's face

right: I just wanted to learn
left: it's impossible to privatize the soul

left: You have to think about [play on Hebrew words] educational finances
right: Olmert sign, see above

We don't want to strike, we have to!

singing and shouting

Don't milk the students! Give a future to higher education!

box 1: Hey Dad! I need extra pocket money!
box 2: No problem son, how much? 10, 20, 30?
box 3: Yes... 30 thousand!!!
text: Future: Next year you will pay 30,000 NIS (New Israeli Shekels) tuition.

Singing in Kikar Tziyon

Dancing students perform in Kikar Tziyon

My father is not called Olmert. I don't have 30,000 NIS for tuition!

Music student poses with sign: They want us to stop singing - students from the Academy for Music and Dance in Jerusalem [abbreviated]

The protest and performance in Kikar Tziyon

Yuli Tamir [Education Minister], get out of our wallet!

Yuli Tamir, Education Problem [play on words with minister - tzarat instead of sarat]

Machon Lev's Campus with protest signs

Signs on a Machon Lev bulletin board alerting students to the strike and warning them that if anyone goes to class, they will ruin it for everyone, the tuition will go up - the education budget was decreased and so too the level of education and we will eat it.

Blood drive sign, Magen David Adom blood mobile reflection.