An unusual public conversation took place Wednesday at the Knesset during an emergency conference on mixed military service in the IDF. Naama Mushkovitz, CEO of the “Toratam Umanutan” forum, spoke openly with Gali Neshri, one of the women petitioning the High Court of Justice to be allowed to compete for elite IDF units, in a discussion broadcast by Channel 7.
The meeting came ahead of a planned November pilot in the Armored Corps, under which female combat soldiers are expected to be integrated into maneuvering tank units. Mushkovitz asked Neshri whether she understood the hardship felt by religious soldiers and their families, citing her husband’s reserve duty in the north and her brother’s combat service in Lebanon alongside a female medic. “Halakhically, morally, this is not our way of life,” she said.
Neshri replied that she knows the challenges from her own military and reserve service, including during the latest war, and said solutions can be found, such as separate rooms or other arrangements. She said that if religious soldiers were involved, she would not serve on the same team, and argued both sides must work together because the army needs more fighters and many women want to serve and strengthen Israel. “I want to understand how we do this together,” she said.
Mushkovitz said many in the religious-Zionist public have felt pushed aside, disrespected, and ignored, and argued that the IDF must engage seriously with yeshiva and pre-military academy leaders. Neshri responded that everyone wants an IDF that wins, and Mushkovitz added that compromises may be necessary, including fewer openings for women than they want. Both women said the dispute is not simply about men versus women, but about deeper value questions and preserving national unity.
