Twelve leading Roshei Yeshivos of Hesder issued a joint statement on Tuesday declaring that they are forbidding their talmidim from enlisting in the IDF’s Armored Corps in the next draft cycle.
The move comes in response to the IDF’s decision to advance a pilot program integrating female soldiers into tank units. The program, expected to begin with the November draft, was advanced following the High Court ruling requiring the IDF to integrate female soldiers into tank units this year.
In a letter sent to the IDF, the Rabbanim wrote: “We, the undersigned, Roshei Yeshivos Hesder, whose students are serving on the front lines of the war, view the High Court’s decision requiring the IDF to integrate female soldiers into tank units with great severity.”
“We are pained by the weak response of the government and the IDF, which expressed no opposition to this move. As Roshei Yeshivos, we are fully aware of the weight of the responsibility placed upon our shoulders. The IDF is the army of Am Yisrael, and the kedushah of the military camp is the foundation of the IDF’s spirit and its success in defeating the enemy. Integrating female soldiers into tank crews alongside male soldiers has both spiritual and operational consequences that harm combat effectiveness.”
“After careful and extensive deliberation, we have concluded that service in the Armored Corps is prohibited according to halacha, and therefore we will not send our students to serve in the Armored Corps beginning with the next draft cycle,” they wrote.
“The thousands of our students who enlist in combat units will continue to do so out of a feeling of shlichus, but the responsibility rests with the IDF to provide an appropriate combat framework for soldiers with combat profiles who are not suited for infantry service.”
IDF officials have expressed deep concern over the decision, warning that the dispute could significantly affect tank crew staffing at a time when the Armored Corps continues to play a central role in combat operations on multiple fronts.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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Inside a tank is certainly not the place to be sitting around for extended periods of time in mixed company. But there are also other circumstances in which the IDF is very far from והיה מחניך קדוש and/or just plain dumb. Case in point: A few months ago I spoke with a young man who had just finished his army service. He was taking baby steps toward becoming frum. He told me that when he was in Gaza, there was one female soldier in his company. (A company is ~120 soldiers.) She was there with their unit in Gaza for stretch of about a month. The idea was that according to IDF protocols, they have an advanced medic (somewhere between a regular medic and a physician) assigned to units that size — and for whatever reason almost all of those who undergo the required training are female soldiers. He said this young woman was miserable there, as just about any woman would be without any female company for weeks. When I heard this I said to myself, “Wow, this is not just very un-Jewish, it’s also really stupid from a social and operational standpoint.”
The IDF has said that there will be no mixed tanks – i.e., each tank will be either all male or all female. However, the Rabbanim on this letter are all serious Talmidei Chachamim who also understand the achrayus to defend Klal Yisrael physically – so if they, after looking into the facts, say that armor is no longer suitable for their Talmidim, and instead they’ll need to go to other combat units, I will accept their views.
The main practical issue, and why this is causing such a ruckus in the IDF, is that armor, unlike most other combat roles, requires a profile of only 73 (infantry and the like require an 82) – and since Talmidei Hesder, including those with somewhat lower profiles, are generally very motivated to be in combat units, there’s a disproportionately large percentage of armor that is from Hesder. If Hesder no longer sends to armor, they’ll be short staffed. This letter is an attempt to get ahead of the curve on that, by saying “we’re not refusing to serve – but we insist that our reasonable religious needs be taken into account. If this unit is no longer suitable, OK – we will need you to find or designate something that is.”
Let’s see how it works out.
an Israeli Yid
These are the most frum of the Religious Zionists (Dati Leumi), and the most Zionist of any religious Jews – and the government wants to alienate them. While crushing Yiddishkeit is the historic goal of the secular Zionists, during a war in which Israel’s sole foreign supporter has at most two years left in power, may not be a good time start a fight.
To the Zionist State, feminism and turning women into men outweighs the security of their state.
Oh, gee, anIsraeliGoy “will accept their views”, of these rabbis.
We were all afraid he would condemn their decision and overrule them.
@ujm – unlike you, I listen to and evaluate both what is being said and the credibility of the source – and am willing to be persuaded. These Rabbanim have a track record that entitles them to such deference, and have laid out fact-based reasons for their determination – as opposed to certain others where any “facts” used to support their positions are demonstrably false.
In your view, I suppose that makes me a Goy – but I’ll interpret that as a reference to “Mi ke’Amcha Yisrael – GOY Echad baAretz” since I have the Zechus of living in THE Aretz – and take it as a compliment. We are a thinking people – we don’t believe in the infallibility of ANY individual, and are entrusted by HKB”H with Sechel that we are to use. After all, we said “Na’aseh v’Nishma” at Har Sinai, not just Na’aseh – of course we’ll follow what HKB”H says first – but we will then ask for an explanation. HKB”H didn’t seem to have any issue with that – why are some leaders and their hangers-on so threatened by people asking them to explain what they present as “Piskei Halacha”?
an Israeli Yid