Another 13 Roshei Yeshivos Hesder announced on Thursday afternoon that they will no longer send their talmidim to the Armored Corps due to the integration of women in tank units.

The Roshei Yeshivos added their name to the letter published by 12 Roshei Yeshivos Hesder on Wednesday.

The move is a staggering blow to the Armored Corps as it will deprive tank units of hundreds of soldiers.

In the past, Roshei Yeshivos Hesder forbade their talmidim from serving in the Artillery Corps due to the integration of women, and today, there is a shortage of reservists in the Artillery Corps.

The IDF on Wednesday evening issued an official response to the  announcement by the 12 Roshei Yeshivos, stating that “the IDF needs every male and female combat soldier.”

“As the people’s army, the IDF places the highest importance on integrating all sectors of society while making a significant effort to preserve their way of life and needs, in a manner that doesn’t come at the expense of one population group over the other.”

“The High Court of Justice did not instruct the IDF to recruit women into the Armored Corps. Rather, it instructed the military to conduct the planned pilot program on the issue.”

“The military is working to integrate women into combat positions wherever possible. A pilot program, by definition, is an initial trial intended to assess future implementation. The pilot will be conducted in accordance with the Joint Service Ordinance, while ensuring compliance with all required operational and professional standards and in line with operational needs.”

“Among all the options being examined in the pilot, there is no scenario in which men and women will serve together within the same framework,” the IDF promised.

However, the IDF has a long history of breaking its promises to the Dati Leumi sector, and the 13 Roshei Yeshivos were apparently not persuaded by the letter.

Several examples of the IDF’s broken promises to Dati Leumi soldiers can be read here, here, and here.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)