After a month and a half hiatus, the sounds of learning are heard once again within the walls of OTS high schools.

In accordance with Israeli government regulations, 11th and 12th graders returned to school this week to prepare for their matriculation exams. The “Back to School” feeling was anything but typical, as the students were welcomed back to a “new normal” – one that includes wearing masks, vigilant hygiene, social distancing, frequent temperature checks and the cancellation of large-group assemblies and cafeteria lunches.

Additionally, the usual bus services were cancelled so that students won’t be clustered in confined spaces, and the dorms at OTS’s Neveh Shmuel Yeshiva High School, whose students are pictured here studying Talmud, remain shuttered – meaning that the school had to find alternate local lodging for those who live far. 

But in spite of all the challenges and difficulties, both the educational staff and the student body were thrilled to be back in the thoroughly cleaned and disinfected classroons after weeks of online learning.  “We really missed our routine, our classes and the general camaraderie of school,” said 11^th grader Yonatan A of Efrat. “And we also really missed our teachers.”