IDF recruitment festival video sparks outrage over beauty station and soldier conduct
A video from the IDF’s recent recruitment festival has triggered public backlash after showing soldiers, including social media figure and Communications Corps soldier Bar Ganis, at what they called a “beauty corps” station. In the clip, which has since been deleted but widely circulated online, the soldiers are seen around a table with manicure tools, gel polish, nail files and polish remover.
The footage drew anger because, in the eyes of critics, it exposed a double standard. They pointed to harsh punishment sometimes given to front-line fighters for wearing “Mashiach” patches, while the TikTok video showed soldiers “humiliating” the uniform in public. Right-wing activist Yigal Malka wrote on X that “a fighter who risked his life” was sent to 30 days in military prison for a patch, while these soldiers were disgracing the IDF before hundreds of thousands of viewers. He also tagged Defense Minister Israel Katz, asking whether he understood the motivational damage this causes. Roni Sassover also condemned the clip, calling it “a disgrace” and warning enemies not to assume this reflects the IDF.
Many commenters framed the incident as another sign of what they called excessive “progressivism” in the army and said it harms combat spirit. One wrote that, in a proper system, a sergeant major would have punished the soldiers with 28 days in confinement. Another accused army leaders of preferring “clowns” over real soldiers and blamed failed command.
The criticism comes at a sensitive moment, amid debates over ultra-Orthodox enlistment and demands from hesder yeshiva leaders. The article says the IDF has not yet issued an official response.
