At a meeting held Thursday, the heads of the religious-Zionist yeshivot decided that students in the hesder program will enlist in the Israel Defense Forces armored corps in the upcoming August draft. The decision comes after a controversy over a pilot program to integrate women into the tank corps.
According to a statement issued after the assembly by the Hesder Yeshivot Association, nearly 50 yeshiva heads attended and discussed what they described as a crisis around mixed combat service. They said the pilot in the armored corps raised concerns that observant soldiers could be prevented from serving in units where they have long enlisted. The rabbis said soldiers had reported many cases of men and women being mixed in closed armored vehicles, protected positions and crowded outposts, situations they said violate both Jewish law and an IDF order.
The tone shifted after a meeting this week between yeshiva representatives and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, along with other senior officers. The yeshiva leaders said they presented claims of violations of the joint-service order and stressed that every observant soldier must be allowed to serve in line with his faith and values. The statement said Zamir expressed special appreciation for hesder and preparatory-program students for their contribution to combat, reaffirmed his commitment to the idea of a “people’s army,” and said the IDF is committed not to exclude observant soldiers from combat units.
Zamir also presented the rabbis with the principles developed by the army for the armored-corps pilot and said any move would be reviewed under the joint-service order. While the decision marks a clear softening from recent warnings by some yeshiva and preparatory-school heads, the association said the dispute is not over. It said talks with the IDF will continue to ensure enforcement of the joint-service order and preserve the ability of observant soldiers to serve throughout the army according to their beliefs.
