Rabbi Supports Soldiers Jailed for Refusing Mixed-Gender Medic Duty

Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, head of the Alon Moreh Yeshiva, publicly supported three Hesder Yeshiva students serving in the Givati Brigade who were jailed for 10 days for refusing to board an armored personnel carrier with a female paramedic. Rabbi Levanon stated that the soldiers acted correctly according to the joint service order and that the IDF's decision to punish them was a mistake.

He explained that while the brigade's military rabbi had authorized an exception for missions with female medics, there was a communication breakdown, and the soldiers were unaware of this specific directive. Rabbi Levanon also claimed the soldiers received inaccurate information from their company commander about the rabbi's stance just a week and a half prior to the incident.

"Punishment! For what and why?" Rabbi Levanon questioned, adding that the punishment reveals the IDF's weakness in its inability to admit its error. He argued that the soldiers were right to refuse to board the APC under the circumstances.

Furthermore, Rabbi Levanon suggested that the IDF's handling of the situation sends a negative message to Haredi men being encouraged to enlist. He stated that the IDF's struggle to recruit Haredim is undermined by such incidents, implying it forces Haredi recruits into situations they object to, or face jail.

Rabbi Levanon urged defense officials to cancel the soldiers' punishment and take responsibility for the communication failure that led to the incident, calling for the immediate release of the soldiers and an acknowledgment of the command error.