Gur Hasidic Leader Approves Women Working in IDF Intelligence Project

The Gur Hasidic Rebbe has granted permission for women from the Gur Hasidic community in Arad to work in a project within the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate, part of the Ministry of Defense. This was reported on Tuesday evening by Kan News. According to a close associate of the Rebbe, Yitzhak Shapira, the women will not be employed under the official status of "civilian employees of the IDF," but the initiative is a joint project between the Gur Hasidic community and the defense establishment, under the Rebbe's direct endorsement. This move is notable as the Gur Rebbe is considered one of the most extreme ultra-Orthodox figures regarding military conscription.

This development comes amid heightened enforcement efforts against draft evasion in the ultra-Orthodox sector. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara recently called on the police and IDF to intensify measures against draft dodgers, noting that about 80% of all draft evaders are from the ultra-Orthodox community. She urged expanding personal economic sanctions and reinstating arrests of draft evaders across all populations. Military representatives at a related discussion indicated that the number of arrests for desertion is expected to rise, particularly during the Jewish High Holidays when many draft evaders attempt to leave Israel for Uman. Last year, over 100 deserters were detained using this method, and the figure is expected to increase this year due to a rise in ultra-Orthodox draft evasion.

The article also references a conversation involving Goldknopf and a draft-dodging ultra-Orthodox individual, as well as a statement by Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasizing that those who neither study Torah nor enlist will face imprisonment.