Journalist Documents Women's Combat Roles in New Book
Journalist Tal Schneider has released a new book, "Their Own War" (Yedioth Books), detailing the combat experiences of women in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the October 7th attacks and their broader struggle for combat roles. Schneider felt a "duty and mission" to document these stories, fearing they might otherwise be lost.
The book explores two parallel narratives: the firsthand accounts of female soldiers who fought on October 7th, including Lt. Col. Or Ben Yehuda, Alina Perovodova (z"l), Lt. Or Moses (z"l), and Lt. Adar Ben Simon (z"l), as well as female police officers like Chief Superintendent Shifra Buchris and Chief Superintendent Mali Shoshana. It also covers the historical fight for women to serve in combat positions within the IDF.
Schneider highlights the "unprecedented" female bravery displayed during the war, emphasizing that the combat narratives are based on extensive interviews. She notes that while these women were in action, "people were being massacred," and they often lacked full awareness of the unfolding events in real-time.
The second narrative traces the long-standing efforts to integrate women into combat roles, a process Schneider describes as "bottom-up," with young women actively seeking these positions rather than the IDF initiating them. She points out that opposition to women in combat has evolved over time, adapting its arguments to contemporary social and political climates, from concerns about weakening the army to current arguments about deterring religious men from enlisting.
Schneider, who personally aspired to a combat role upon her 1990 enlistment but was limited by the available options, sees the integration as a necessity driven by IDF manpower needs. She projects that by 2025, women will constitute 21.2% of the IDF's combat force, up from 4% in 2011. Despite this trend, she expresses concern about increasing gender segregation within the military, arguing that operational needs should supersede religious considerations in combat situations.
