The consequences of the High Court ruling requiring the IDF to integrate female combat soldiers into tank units continue to unfold, with 19 Rabbanim from religious mechinos (pre‑military academies) issuing a statement this week instructing their students not to serve in mixed‑gender units.

The Rabbanim published a statement on Monday evening declaring their support for the earlier letter on the issue, which was signed by over 30 Roshei Yeshivos Hesder.

“We, too, join the call of the Roshei Yeshivot and urge our talmidim to serve only in non‑mixed units,” the statement says.

One of the signatories was Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, the Rosh Mechina of the Bnei Dovid Mechina, who also called on his talmidim not to join the Sayeret Matkal unit, saying that it is “prioritizing the value of radical feminism over victory.”

In response, the IDF stated, “The Religious Zionist public is valued and important to the IDF. As has already been clarified, the IDF operates and will continue to operate according to the Joint Service Order regarding the integration of women into combat units. At this time, the army needs every male and female combat soldier, and assignments will be made according to operational needs, without one population coming at the expense of another.”

Behind closed doors, IDF officials have expressed great concern over the issue, warning of the operational consequences of losing dozens of combat soldiers in every draft cycle in exchange for a few female tank soldiers a year.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)