Rabbi Yigal Levinstein Says Sayeret Matkal Has Become Like Caracal

Rabbi Yigal Levinstein sharply criticized the integration of women into Sayeret Matkal, saying the unit is changing its priorities. "Sayeret Matkal has become like Caracal, there is a concept on steroids in the unit."

"The gender theory of radical feminism is overtaking the value of victory," he added. In his view, integrating women is being done at the expense of the operational demands required of fighters. He later wrote, "A girl went through a track adapted for her. We will lower the operational requirements in order to integrate women and get a picture of 'victory', the first woman who 'completed' the track in the unit."

According to him, this is a process that harms the value of victory, which is supposed to be at the top of the unit's priorities. Levinstein called on candidates for military service to reconsider their choices ahead of the selection days. "Out of responsibility for the value of victory in the IDF and in the unit in particular, I recommend that every pre-army candidate going to the selection days prefer units that see the value of victory as the No. 1 value, such as Sayeret Matkal and Shayetet, where they do not lower requirements for the sake of the value of equality."

"The danger to Israel's security is great because the unit is the professional compass and a symbol for the entire army, and if values are changed there, then certainly in other units as well, such as the paratroopers, armor, etc." He concluded his remarks with the sentence, "I am very concerned."