Approximately two years ago, Shomrim and Calcalist published a two-part series on food insecurity in schools, which exposed the alarming extent of hunger within the Israeli education system. According to a 2021 survey commissioned by the National Insurance Institute, 16.2 percent of Israeli families—including approximately 665,000 teens—experience food insecurity. This term encompasses a range of conditions, from concerns about a potential food shortage in the household to prolonged hunger. About half of these teens suffer from severe food insecurity, according to the survey.

While Israeli primary schools have a legally mandated and subsidized feeding program that provides hot meals to around 500,000 students, there is no system-wide solution for secondary and high school students.The problem is especially acute in schools serving at-risk youth, where students often come from underprivileged households and are most affected by hunger. The Ministry of Education has recently announced plans to expand the program to include these high schools—often referred to as “last-chance high schools.” Tens of thousands of students enrolled in these schools face food insecurity and are left to rely on ad hoc solutions funded by donations or to fend for themselves.

The situation in the Arab community is even more severe. Over the past two years, as part of a five-year plan for the Arab community, nutritional security programs have been implemented in high schools for at-risk youth in this sector. Last year, when Shomrim reported on the program’s progress after its first year of operation, principals and Education Ministry officials described it as a great success. “Sometimes I would see students who looked pale and said they felt dizzy in the middle of the day,” said Lilian Hakim, principal of the Na’amat Technological School in Nazareth, in an interview with Shomrim at the time. “When I asked if they had eaten or drunk anything, they would say they hadn’t. I no longer see that look in their eyes—a look that told me they were hungry but too ashamed to ask for food.”

The Ministry of Education plans to expand the nutritional security program to include high schools for at-risk youth beyond just the Arab community. This means the state will begin providing hot meals to 17,000 at-risk students across 125 schools—compared to only 25 schools that were previously part of the program. The estimated annual cost of this expansion is around 80 million shekels.

“I am proud to announce this historical change, which my partners and I have brought to the education system’s nutritional security program,” said Education Minister Yoav Kisch. For the first time, students in technological education centers will receive hot, balanced and varied meals that will include fresh fruit and vegetables.  Food security is not a luxury and a hungry teen will not be able to learn even in the best l classroom. Every student deserves the same opportunity to fulfill his or her immense potential. We will continue to do everything to provide Israeli teens with the conditions they need to do so.”