Veteran kindergarten in Tel Aviv-Yafo closed due to threats hours before the start of the year: "Fear that children are in danger"

Dozens of parents of children at the Sulamot kindergarten in Jaffa discovered last night, just about 12 hours before the start of the school year, that the kindergarten where their children were supposed to start the year this morning would not open. In a message sent to them in the kindergarten's WhatsApp group around 8:00 PM, it was stated that following "threats and pressure from a neighbor", the property owner decided to lock the place and not allow the kindergarten's continued operation there. According to the parents, after receiving the message, they have not been able to get further answers from the kindergarten staff, who have not answered messages and phone calls since, leaving them with their children at home and without an alternative framework.

"We are very sorry to announce that we will not be able to open the school year tomorrow as we planned," was written in the message to the parents. "Following threats and pressure from a neighbor, the property owner decided to lock the kindergarten and not allow its continued operation at the site. This is a development that was forced upon us and is not related to the kindergarten's conduct." The staff added that in light of the situation, they would not be able to return the children and staff to the place, and asked the parents for 48 hours to try to find an alternative solution. "We are examining several options, are in contact with officials at the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality and are doing everything in our power to find a suitable place that will allow the kindergarten to continue operating and start the school year as soon as possible."

According to police sources, the background to the closing of the kindergarten is a dispute between the owner of the property and a tenant who lives on the same street. The fear was that the events surrounding the dispute could endanger the children and staff, and therefore it was decided not to open the kindergarten this morning. The police confirmed that an investigation is being conducted into the matter.

Claims of threats and arson of a vehicle

Sulamot kindergarten is a veteran private kindergarten in Jaffa, which has been operating for 16 years and is intended for children of different ages, including infants and toddlers. According to parents who spoke anonymously, the tension began after a family moved to live on the street who are allegedly connected to criminal elements. A few weeks ago, a confrontation occurred between parents and that family, when smoke was felt to be intentionally blown towards the kindergarten area while children were in it. Later, a kind of "sulha" (reconciliation) took place, but yesterday a turning point occurred.

Parents claim that the property owner received death threats against his life and the lives of his family in order to prevent the kindergarten's return to operation. It is also claimed that his car was torched and that a message was conveyed to him that if the kindergarten were to open again, he and his family members could be harmed. The police note that the circumstances of the arson and the connection between it and the dispute are unclear at this stage.

"It is impossible that in Jaffa, in the heart of a residential neighborhood, parents of children should have to be afraid of criminals," wrote a parent anonymously on Facebook. "It is impossible that a kindergarten that has been active for about 15 years should be closed overnight because of threats. We demand from the police, from the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality and from all law enforcement agencies to treat this event with the utmost severity, to investigate it immediately and to protect the children, the staff, the parents and the property owner."