Heads of 19 pre-military preparatory academies have joined leaders of hesder yeshivas in announcing they will advise their students not to serve in the Armored Corps if a pilot integrating women is launched there, according to a statement circulated Monday night. The move broadens the religious-Zionist defiance of the IDF's gender-integration plan beyond the yeshiva world to the academy system, which trains thousands of future combat soldiers annually.
The protest against integrating women into the IDF Armored Corps escalated Monday evening as 19 heads of pre-military preparatory academies (mekhinot) announced they would join the call by hesder yeshiva leaders for their graduates to opt out of service in the Armored Corps unit if a female-integration pilot is launched there.
Until now, the pushback came primarily from the hesder yeshiva network — yeshivas that combine Torah study with military service. On June 10, as The Zioneer reported, 13 more hesder yeshivas joined the initial 12 signatories of a letter to the IDF Chief of Staff opposing the plan, bringing the total to 25. Now the academy system — which is not part of the hesder framework but trains a broad cross-section of religious-Zionist youth for combat roles — has added its institutional weight.
The 19 academy heads issued their statement on Monday evening. The text itself does not name the academies individually, nor does it specify the pilot's timeline or which battalion would host it. The IDF has yet to officially respond to Monday's development. The religious-Zionist education system trains a disproportionately large share of field-grade combat officers; a coordinated opt-out from its two main pipelines would present the military with a significant manpower challenge in the Armored Corps.
2 developments
- StrongRabbi Yigal Levinstein Urges Candidates to Avoid Sayeret Matkal Over Gender Integration
- DevelopingIDF chief may reconsider ban on Hesder yeshiva students serving in armored corps
- DevelopingHesder yeshiva heads send letter to IDF chief opposing women in armored corps, report says
- DevelopingIDF tells hesder yeshivas: Pilot for women in Armored Corps will proceed per orders
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