Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, head of the “Bnei David” pre-military academy in Eli, has urged students from preparatory schools and yeshivas not to enlist in Sayeret Matkal, after the unit completed its first integration of a female combat soldier. He argued that the elite unit has become a “mixed unit” and therefore, in his view, no longer meets the halachic requirements for observant soldiers.
Levinstein warned his students not to rely on promises of serving only in separate teams during training, saying that after the course the fighters are assigned to operational platoons where women also serve. He claimed men and women operate together regularly in combat activity and that there is “no halachic permission” for such service. He added that operational necessity, in his opinion, does not justify the arrangement, while still calling on religious youth to serve in meaningful IDF roles in units that preserve their religious lifestyle and outlook.
His remarks come amid a broader dispute over women’s service in elite combat units. At the start of the month, heads of hesder yeshivot announced they would stop sending students to the Armored Corps because of the integration of women, saying they oppose draft evasion and that everyone will serve, just not in armor. For a long time, the IDF delayed integrating women into elite units, but after several petitions to the High Court of Justice, the army said in September 2023 it would begin trials for women in Sayeret Matkal and in the elite mobility unit 551 of Division 98.
This year the High Court ruled that the IDF must ensure equality between men and women, including in maneuvering armored units. The pilot in Sayeret Matkal began in December 2024. This month, the IDF announced that one woman, among dozens of trainees, successfully completed the year-and-a-half course and became the first female fighter in Sayeret Matkal. The army said she met all standards after a preliminary selection process, underwent the same training as the men with specific adjustments, and that her operational role has not yet been decided. The General Staff will review the pilot’s conclusions soon.
