Rabbi Tamir Granot, head of the Orot Shaul Yeshiva, spoke at an emergency Knesset conference hosted by MK Ohad Tal on mixed-gender service in the IDF. The event brought together senior religious Zionist rabbis, lawmakers, ministers, representatives of organizations and reservist women, against the backdrop of an expected November pilot in the Armored Corps that would integrate female fighters into maneuvering tank units.
Granot said there is no campaign against women serving in the army, but argued that the IDF must make decisions through broad discussion and listening in order to preserve the army’s unity and the ability of religious and secular soldiers to serve together. “We are fighting so that both values can exist, not one of them,” he said. He added that the army should keep Jewish law in mind and distinguish between emergency wartime measures and permanent force-building: “When there are moments of duress, you do things that are not the ideal Torah and halachic path. But when you build a fighting force, you build it from the outset, not after the fact.”
The rabbi also revealed excerpts from the diary of his son, Capt. Amitai Tzvi Granot, who was killed in the war and had served in armor. According to Granot, when the possibility arose of assigning female fighters to the platoon where his son served, the son asked to speak with his commanders and debated how to respond. Granot said he told him that if the move violated halacha, he could not remain an officer. “Maybe we need to fight the bigger war,” his son replied, to which Granot answered, “You do not stage a demonstration, that is our role. So I am here too to fulfill that role.”
Granot said the issue was not only ideological but also professional and operational, noting that in tank service heavy physical tasks, such as lifting shells and handling tracks, were often assigned to men. He stressed trust in the military leadership, especially Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, saying the aim was not confrontation but helping the army choose “the right thing” while respecting everyone’s wishes. He warned against creating separate service tracks that could break the common framework of the IDF and called for solutions that allow religious and secular soldiers to keep serving together with dignity.
