Rabbinical Protest Against Integrating Female Tank Crews Expands Sharply

Tank crew member | Photo: IDF Spokesperson

The protest against integrating female soldiers into the Armored Corps is expanding: 11 heads of hesder yeshivas and two additional rabbis, who asked not to have their names published, have joined a letter calling on their students not to enlist in the corps. The rabbis argue that service in the emerging format is contrary to Jewish law. The IDF says men and women will not serve in the same company and that a final decision has not yet been made.

First revealed in Channel 14 News: The dispute over service in the Armored Corps is intensifying with the addition of 11 more hesder yeshiva heads, along with two rabbis who asked to remain anonymous, to the letter urging students not to enlist in the corps following the promotion of female integration.

Among the new signatories to the letter are Rabbi Michael Aharonov of Mעלה אפרים Yeshiva, Rabbi Elisha Yinnon of Afula, Rabbi Shlomo Sasson of Beit Shean, and Rabbi David Amitai of Yeshivat Avinuaam. The list of new signatories also includes Rabbi Eyal Yaakovovitz of Safed, Rabbi Yehoshua Schmidt of Nahalat Yosef, Rabbi Shlomo Benjamin of Yeshivat Lev Ladaat, Rabbi Eliyahu Mali of Jaffa, Rabbi David Turgeman of Dimona, and Rabbis Eran Tamir and Avihu Fishpeder of Ashkelon.

In their sharp letter, the heads of the yeshivas make clear that the High Court of Justice's decision requiring the IDF to integrate female soldiers into maneuvering tank units led them to conclude that service in this corps is forbidden under Jewish law. The rabbis said the decision was made after serious deliberation, and they formally declared that they would no longer send their students to serve in the Armored Corps beginning with the upcoming enlistment date. They also leveled serious accusations that the army is completely ignoring them and the requests of the students due to enlistment.

In the IDF, officials are trying to calm tensions, emphasizing that even if the planned pilot for integrating women is approved, men and women will not serve together in the same company. IDF Spokesperson's Unit clarified that the High Court did not order the blanket enlistment of female soldiers, but rather instructed that the pilot be carried out as a first trial for evaluation, and that the matter and its decisions have not yet been brought before the Chief of Staff for discussion and final ruling. The army insists that the pilot will be carried out with strict observance of the joint service order and compliance with all required operational and professional standards.

The IDF responded to the hesder yeshiva letter, saying, "Men and women will not serve together."

The IDF added that over the past few months there has been ongoing contact between senior IDF officers and hesder yeshiva heads and representatives of the national-religious public on this issue. It also stressed that after about two and a half years of intense, multi-front war, the army needs every male and female fighter and sees the integration of all populations as a top priority, while striving to preserve their way of life and needs. Finally, the IDF said it values and appreciates the significant contribution of hesder yeshiva servicemembers to the security effort across all fronts.