On the first day of the school year, school hallways across Israel will be filled with the colors of the Israeli flag, their students responding to the moving call of Tzvika Mor, father of hostage Eitan Mor who was kidnapped into Gaza.
Tzvika has asked students to go "back to school in blue and white," providing moral support and showing solidarity with the families of the hostages, the families of the fallen and injured, the evacuated families and all of Israel.
This initiative provides an opportunity for significant class discussions. Teachers will speak with their students about the values of hope and unity, through building strength and resilience, during difficult times.
Tzvika Mor, a member of the Tikva Forum of Hostage families, described the response to his initative: "I am filled with anticipation and heartwarming pride in our nation, to see the amazing outpouring of support. Every child who wears blue and white on Sunday, every participating parent and teacher, sends us a message to stay strong, hopeful and united."
"We continue to hope and believe that soon we will be reunited with Eitan and all the other hostages returning home to the embrace of their families."
Bruria Ledder, principal of the “Ramat Modiin” elementary school in Hashmonaim, explained: "The film that Tzvika Mor shared touched us all, by highlighting and pointing to our mission as teachers, that we are educating the generation of victory, the generation of redemption. We decided to join this initiative and to ask our students to arrive in blue and white. We hope this small project sends out ripples of hope, unity, and faith."
In a short video clip, Mor responded to the proposal that students should wear yellow shirts on the first day of school, as a reminder of the hostages. Mor questioned whether anyone had forgotten about the hostages or did not want them home, and then asked whether there were similar initiatives for the fallen, the widows, the evacuees who are still living in hotels, the injured, the soldiers on the front lines, and other groups. He also asked whether any of those groups were less worthy than the hostages of being remembered and supported.
To solve this dilemma of who to support on the first day of school, Mor proposed that instead of yellow shirts, students mark the first day of school by wearing blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag, in a show of support for all of the groups and to display unity.