Israeli Hesder Yeshiva Leaders Demand IDF Service Conditions Like the Netzah Yehuda Brigade
Leaders and students from Hesder yeshivas across Israel convened an emergency conference in Jerusalem on Sunday to demand the cancellation of the IDF's joint service order, which they argue undermines the religious character of the military and threatens their continued service. The event, held at the Ramada Hotel under the banner "Az B'Namer - Fix What Needs Fixing," gathered hundreds of participants from various streams of Religious Zionism.
The attendees called for preserving the IDF's religious identity to ensure yeshiva students can continue serving while maintaining their lifestyle and religious standards. They criticized the joint service order for harming values of camaraderie and women's dignity, warning it could exclude religious, Haredi, and traditional communities from many military roles. The conference resulted in several practical measures, including establishing a rabbinical command center to operate a 24/7 hotline for religious soldiers and reservists, and formulating binding "red lines" for all military branches such as the Medical and Armored Corps.
Among the proposals was a demand to condition service terms on the model of the Netzah Yehuda Brigade (also known as the "Hesder" or "Nahal Haredi" unit), which operates under strict religious guidelines. One organizer emphasized the unfairness of opposing their service conditions while the Netzah Yehuda Brigade receives dedicated bases free of women and tailored to their needs.
Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, head of the pre-military preparatory program "Bnei David" in Eli, sharply criticized the current policy, stating that the joint service order "collapsed in war" and is no longer relevant for combat units. He stressed that the struggle to protect religious soldiers' service conditions is just beginning and that the mixing of roles within combat units remains problematic.
The rabbis underscored that their opposition to the joint service order stems from concerns about damaging the IDF's core values and operational effectiveness. They called for urgent changes to the IDF General Staff orders to safeguard the integration of yeshiva students while respecting their religious lifestyle and service conditions.
