70 children not attending kindergartens in Bnei Brak: "There are mice and rats here, and no one cares"
About 70 children from two kindergartens for refugees and migrants in Bnei Brak are not attending after their parents shut down the facilities in protest of ongoing neglect. Parents warn of rodents, garbage, flooding, and safety hazards. The municipality stated that children's safety is a top priority and every complaint is handled.
About 70 children from two kindergartens designated for refugees and migrants in Bnei Brak have not been attending for several days, after their parents decided to shut down the facilities in protest of ongoing neglect and unsuitable conditions. The parents, who have been warning for months about rats running around, garbage, flooding, and maintenance and safety issues, decided after the Rosh Hashanah holiday not to send their children back until the problems are fixed. One mother, Rachel, said: "There are mice and rats, leaks, everything is terrible." According to her, the teacher did not allow one mother to bring her daughter in, claiming the municipality pays her for this and all parents are striking. The parents describe a series of hazards: four trash cans at the entrance, a smelly yard, winter flooding requiring shoe changes every month, rust, air conditioner leaks, and a rodent infestation that has not been resolved. As early as November, ynet reported on the conditions at the compound. On August 25, attorney Miriam Strang, on behalf of the parent committee, urgently contacted the Bnei Brak municipality and the Ministry of Education, attaching documentation of rodent feces and a rat carcass found in July within reach of the children. The organization A.S.F. (Refugee Aid Organization) accompanying the parents claims that despite repeated appeals, some of the issues have not been fixed. A father of two, Emmanuel, said the feeling is that their children are being pushed aside because they are children of foreigners. The Bnei Brak municipality responded that children's welfare is a top priority, that no official complaint about a carcass was received, and that the synthetic grass is scheduled to be replaced this week.