In an interview with Channel 7, Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, head of the Bnei David pre-military academy in Eli, said the IDF’s pilot program for women in armored units is “prearranged” and meant to pave the way for broader mixed-gender combat service. He argued that the real issue is not the pilot itself, but what comes after it, when women are placed inside battalion combat teams and, eventually, in more elite and infantry units.
Levinstein rejected IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi’s statement that the pilot will use separate female formations rather than mixed tank crews, calling it “all theater” and “a cover-up.” He said the pilot would inevitably succeed because it was designed to succeed, and compared the military debate to the World Cup, where no one mixes men’s and women’s teams in the name of equality because winning matters more.
He claimed the army is already lowering operational standards for women, citing the current fighting in Lebanon, where, he said, female medics are serving alongside fighters and soldiers are forced to remain with them in armored personnel carriers under the justification of operational need and saving lives. Levinstein said, “They are deceiving us and fooling us in front of our eyes,” adding that gender ideology has become a force greater than military considerations.
The rabbi said the campaign is not about one pilot but about an ideology that seeks to place women everywhere, including elite units such as Sayeret Matkal. He argued that if women can be adapted to the elite commando unit, then the same logic will reach Golani, Givati, Nahal and the Paratroopers. He also said rabbis understand what is happening and have united in opposition.
Levinstein reiterated his call for religious youth not to enlist in Sayeret Matkal, and instead to choose units such as Shaldag, which he said preserve a high operational standard. He described a case in which, he said, 11 of 22 religious soldiers were removed from a training course to make room for a woman at the end of the track, and said the candidate who refused to leave was later pushed out. He urged the defense minister and, if necessary, the prime minister to stop what he called a dangerous policy, saying, “We will not give up the army and security because of crazy agendas.”
