Left-Wing Shikma Bressler Says She Would “Smash a Chair” Over Schoolchildren Singing “Adon Olam”

A political and educational firestorm erupted Tuesday after left-wing Israeli activist Shikma Bressler said she would have violently confronted a school principal if her daughters had been made to sing “Adon Olam” in school.

The remarks, made during a conference hosted by the Berl Katznelson Foundation, led to a police complaint accusing Bressler of incitement and threats, along with demands for action from senior education officials.

According to footage from the event that spread across social media, Bressler recalled attending school in Givat HaMoreh near Afula, where students sang “Adon Olam” each morning.

“During first and second grade I studied at a school in Givat HaMoreh above Afula, and every morning we would sing ‘Adon Olam,’” Bressler said.

She then sharply criticized the idea of such a practice taking place today.

“If someone today would make my daughters sing ‘Adon Olam,’ I would smash a chair over the principal’s head, at that level,” she said.

The comments quickly triggered angry reactions, particularly from religious groups and education advocates.

The organization Meirim, which represents parents of students throughout Israel, filed an official police complaint against Bressler, accusing her of incitement and threats.

The group argued that the comments were especially serious because of Bressler’s public standing as one of the leaders of the anti-government protest movement.

At the same time, Meirim sent an urgent letter to Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Teachers Union secretary-general Yaffa Ben David demanding that action be taken against Bressler and that educators receive public backing.

In the letter, the organization warned that teachers and school staff are already facing growing levels of violence and intimidation.

“We are in a difficult period in which violence against educational staff and within schools is breaking records,” the letter stated. “It is inconceivable that incitement and granting legitimacy to violence by someone who stands at the head of a protest movement of tens of thousands will pass in silence.”