13 More Hesder Yeshiva Heads Join Refusal to Send Students to the Armored Corps

After the IDF Spokesperson responded to a letter from heads of Hesder yeshivas who announced they would stop sending recruits to the Armored Corps following the integration of female combat soldiers, 13 additional heads of Hesder yeshivas announced today (Thursday) that they would stop sending recruits to the corps starting with the next draft cycle. Yesterday, the yeshiva heads said they were against insubordination and that everyone would serve, but not in the Armored Corps.

Alongside the 12 yeshiva heads who already announced this week that they were stopping recruitment to the Armored Corps, there are now 25 Hesder yeshivas that have ceased sending recruits to the corps. As a result of the fixed allocation of Hesder yeshivas in each draft cycle, this means hundreds of fighters will be missing after the decision to integrate female combat soldiers.

The yeshiva heads who joined the letter are Rabbi Michael Aharonov (Maale Ephraim Yeshiva), Rabbi David Amitai (Avinoam Yeshiva), Rabbi Shlomo Binyamin (Lev Da'at Yeshiva), Rabbi Eran Tamir (Orot Ashkelon Yeshiva), Rabbi Elisha Yinon (Afula Yeshiva), Rabbi Eyal Yakubovich (Safed Yeshiva), Rabbi Eliyahu Mali (Jaffa), Rabbi Aviyahu Fishpadar (Ashkelon Yeshiva), Rabbi Shlomo Shoshan (Beit She'an Yeshiva), Rabbi Yehoshua Schmidt (Nachalat Yosef Yeshiva), Rabbi David Turgeman (Dimona Yeshiva), and two additional yeshiva heads who asked that their names not be published.

The rabbis stressed that the meaning of the Supreme Court ruling is the mixing of combat units, and wrote: "We are pained by the feeble response of the State of Israel and the IDF, which did not express opposition to this move. As heads of yeshivas, we are aware of the weight of the responsibility placed on our shoulders. The IDF is the army of the people of Israel, and the sanctity of the camp is the foundation of the spirit of the IDF 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 consideration, we have decided that service in the Armored Corps is prohibited according to Jewish law, and therefore we will not send our students to serve in the Armored Corps starting with the next draft. Thousands of our students enlisting in combat units will continue to do so with commitment and strength, but it is the IDF's responsibility to ensure that those with combat profiles who are not suited for infantry service are placed in a combat framework suited to their fighting spirit."

The IDF responded yesterday to the issue for the first time, saying that "among the options being examined in the pilot, there is no alternative in which joint service by men and women will take place within the same framework."

At this stage, it is not clear how the pilot will nevertheless proceed, five months before the date set by the Supreme Court. It was also stated: "As of now, the pilot has not yet reached the desk of the Chief of Staff, and the matter will be discussed soon. Senior IDF officers have been in continuous contact in recent months with heads of Hesder yeshivas and their representatives, alongside other figures in the national-religious public on this matter. The IDF appreciates and values the contribution of all servicemen and women, including Hesder yeshiva soldiers, to the security effort in all arenas."