At the annual assembly of hesder yeshiva leaders on Thursday, about 50 heads of yeshivas discussed fears that the army may expand a pilot integrating female combat soldiers into the armored corps. The leaders said that opening a pilot that mixes men and women in maneuvering tank units would prevent observant soldiers from serving in the tank arm, where hesder students have served from the start of their service.
The yeshiva representatives raised the issue earlier this week in a meeting with the IDF chief of staff and senior officers, describing problems they say arise from implementing the army’s joint-service order. They said soldiers had reported many cases of mixed seating or deployment in enclosed vehicles such as tanks and Namer armored personnel carriers, as well as in cramped shelters. In their words, such mixing violates both Jewish morality and IDF orders, and harms not only combat troops and religious soldiers but all IDF servicemen and women.
Zamir thanked the yeshiva representatives for the contribution of yeshiva and pre-army academy students to the military. He stressed his commitment to the principle of the “people’s army” and to preventing the exclusion of soldiers who keep halakha, while also emphasizing the importance of the armored corps. He pledged to examine any pilot in light of compliance with the joint-service order.
Following the exchange with the military leadership, the assembly decided that hesder yeshiva students will enlist in the armored corps this coming August. The hesder yeshiva association said it will continue working with the IDF to preserve the option of serving according to Jewish law, and called for strict enforcement of the joint-service order to prevent divisions within the army.
