Rabbi Supports IDF Soldiers Jailed for Refusing to Serve with Female Medic

Rabbi Tzvi Kustiner, head of the Midreshet Ramone yeshiva, has issued a letter of support to students and their comrades from the Rotem Battalion of the Givati Brigade who were sentenced to ten days in military prison. The soldiers were confined for refusing to board an armored personnel carrier (APC) with a female paramedic.

In his letter, Rabbi Kustiner stated, "I wish to strengthen the hands of our dear yeshiva students and their friends who are now sitting in military prison for observing the laws of modesty and requesting not to be forced to go on an operational mission with a female soldier in the APC." He added that the soldiers' adherence to modesty standards is crucial for the army's success, strength, and resilience. He concluded by expressing hope that all would learn from the soldiers' "holiness and strength" and be fortified in Torah and love of fellow Jews, thereby sanctifying God's name.

The fifteen soldiers, from the Hesder yeshiva program within the battalion, were sentenced after refusing the order. The incident has sparked controversy among rabbis and Hesder yeshiva students, with claims from the soldiers' peers of ongoing tension with company commanders over halachic (Jewish law) issues. The soldiers' friends allege that the incident is part of a pattern of friction with commanders regarding religious observance, citing a previous exercise involving casualty evacuation that they deemed unnecessary and conducted on Shabbat.

Soldiers from the battalion have reportedly expressed a crisis of confidence with their commanders, feeling that there is a deliberate attempt to clash with religious soldiers. They stated, "Instead of finding solutions and allowing shared service based on mutual respect, they repeatedly choose confrontation."

In response, the Noam L'Yisrael party is organizing a protest outside the gates of Prison 10 on Monday evening at 9:00 PM. The demonstration is expected to draw rabbis, yeshiva heads, public figures, and a large crowd, calling on military authorities to allow Torah-observant soldiers to maintain their way of life during their service. Organizers stated, "It cannot be that in the army of the Jewish state, observing the Halakha will be considered a criminal offense."