Crisis Deepens as 13 More Hesder Yeshivas Halt Tank Corps Enlistment

Thirteen heads of hesder yeshivas joined an announcement stopping enlistment to the Armored Corps following the integration of women into the combat branch. Up to one-third of all hesder yeshivas have now joined the move.

On Thursday afternoon, 13 heads of hesder yeshivas announced they would stop sending students to the Armored Corps starting with the next enlistment cycle, after 12 other yeshiva heads issued a similar notice. The number of hesder yeshivas that have said they will not send their students to the Armored Corps now stands at 25. Given the fixed allocation of hesder yeshivas in each enlistment cycle, this means hundreds of fighters will be missing from the Armored Corps because of the decision to integrate female combat soldiers.

The rabbis who joined the letter are Rabbi Michael Aharonov of Maale Ephraim Yeshiva, Rabbi David Amitai of Avinoam Yeshiva, Rabbi Shlomo Binyamin of Lev Ladaat Yeshiva, Rabbi Eran Tamir of Orot Ashkelon Yeshiva, Rabbi Elisha Yinon of Afula Yeshiva, Rabbi Eyal Yakubovitz of Safed Yeshiva, Rabbi Eliyahu Mali of Jaffa, Rabbi Avihu Fishpeder of Ashkelon Yeshiva, Rabbi Shlomo Shushan of Beit Shean Yeshiva, Rabbi Yehoshua Schmidt of Nahalat Yosef Yeshiva, Rabbi David Turgeman of Dimona Yeshiva, and two additional yeshiva heads who asked not to have their names published.

The rabbis emphasized that the Supreme Court ruling means mixing of combat units, and wrote: "We are pained by the weak response of the State of Israel and the IDF, which did not express opposition to this move. As yeshiva heads, we are aware of the heavy responsibility on our shoulders. The IDF is the army of the people of Israel, and the sanctity of the camp is the basis of its spirit and of success in defeating the enemy. The introduction of female soldiers into tanks together with male soldiers harms, spiritually and practically, combat capability."

The rabbis said: "After serious deliberation, we decided that service in the Armored Corps is forbidden under Jewish law, and therefore we will not send our students to serve in the Armored Corps starting with the next enlistment. Thousands of our students who enlist in combat units will continue to do so with mission and strength, but the IDF bears the responsibility of ensuring that those with combat fitness profiles who are not suitable for infantry service are placed in a combat framework suited to their fighting spirit."