IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has reportedly ordered that Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, head of the Eli pre-military academy, be excluded from a planned meeting with commanders of pre-military preparatory programs, according to a report by Channel 14.
According to a single report from Channel 14, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has barred Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, head of the Eli pre-military academy, from attending a meeting scheduled with rabbis and commanders of pre-military preparatory programs. The report, published Wednesday evening, frames the move as a boycott of Levinstein by the chief of staff.
Levinstein has been a controversial figure within the religious-Zionist community and the IDF for years. As The Zioneer previously reported, he has repeatedly urged prospective recruits to avoid Sayeret Matkal over the unit's integration of women in combat roles, arguing the change violates halacha and lowers operational standards. The rift between Levinstein and the military leadership has deepened, with figures on the left, such as Yair Golan, previously vowing to shut down the Eli academy.
The reported exclusion of Levinstein from the rabbis' meeting is the latest flashpoint in the ongoing tension between religious-Zionist educators and the IDF establishment. The report is sourced to a single channel and has not been independently confirmed.
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