Religious Zionist Rabbis Hold Conference Opposing Mixed-Gender Combat Service in IDF

Tensions between Religious Zionist rabbis from the Hesder Yeshivot and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue over the issue of mixed-gender combat service. The dispute centers on the IDF's policy allowing men and women to serve together in combat roles, which the rabbis strongly oppose.

Next Sunday, a major conference will take place featuring heads of Hesder Yeshivot, pre-military academies, rabbis, and students preparing for IDF service. The event, organized by the Chotam VeAd HaNitzachon organization, aims to demand the cancellation of the IDF's mixed-gender service order. The rabbis argue that this policy undermines the "holiness of the camp," which they consider essential for victory in battle.

Speakers at the conference will emphasize that the IDF is a Jewish army and that maintaining separate combat units for men and women is crucial. They claim the current order prevents their "heroic fighters" from defeating the enemy and vow to no longer remain silent or submissive on this issue. The rabbis call for a return to a "victorious Jewish army" without mixed-gender combat units.

This ongoing conflict reflects broader disagreements within the Religious Zionist community about the role of women in the military and the preservation of religious values within the IDF. The upcoming conference is expected to escalate the debate further.