Call for cooperation over mixed-gender tank service

The article argues that Israel’s debate over mixed-gender military service is not just an organizational issue, but one that touches the religious and halakhic world of observant soldiers. It says the army’s pilot to integrate female combat soldiers in the Armored Corps has caused concern, and that any solution must preserve the ability of religious troops to keep serving.

The writer says the army has proposed a dedicated company for women with separate tanks, calling it a potentially workable direction. But, he argues, it should be developed only after dialogue with hesder yeshiva leaders and the Military Rabbinate to ensure it truly fits the needs of religious servicemembers. He rejects the claim that the army should decide such matters alone, saying that many religious soldiers see mixed service in tanks as requiring them to violate clear halakhic prohibitions without operational necessity.

To illustrate the point, he compares it to a hypothetical rule requiring every soldier in Golani Brigade to wear a kippah at all times, saying many secular Israelis would view that as an unreasonable intrusion on identity and freedom. He also says the national-religious public has repeatedly shown its loyalty to the state and the IDF, including during the 2005 disengagement from Gush Katif, and therefore deserves to be heard respectfully when it raises a serious concern.

At the same time, he criticizes a letter from yeshiva leaders announcing that they would not send students to the Armored Corps even before the pilot begins. Such moves, he warns, could create hostility in the army and make compromise harder. The preferred path, he writes, is partnership with the Military Rabbinate and other rabbinic figures inside the system, so that the army can meet operational needs while protecting the religious and values-based commitments of observant soldiers. The author identifies himself as a member of the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization leadership.