Forum Dvora, an Israeli women's rights organization, warned Tuesday that the IDF must not bow to threats by hesder yeshiva heads and pre-military academy rabbis who are calling on students to avoid mixed-gender units and combat roles. The group said yielding to such demands would create a segregated military and dismantle the model of a people's army, calling the campaign a dangerous exclusion of women during wartime.
Forum Dvora issued a statement Tuesday afternoon condemning a widening campaign by religious-Zionist educators to pressure students into avoiding mixed-gender IDF units. The forum's warning follows a series of letters from hesder yeshiva heads and pre-military academy rabbis urging recruits to serve only in segregated frameworks, in protest of the military's integration of women into combat roles including the Armored Corps.
As The Zioneer has reported, at least 25 hesder yeshivas have joined the protest since June 10, after an initial letter to the IDF Chief of Staff. The Union of Hesder Yeshivas has formally distanced itself from the boycott, saying it maintains dialogue with the IDF. Forum Dvora's statement cites the IDF's ongoing talks with the hesder union as a concern, arguing that decisions affecting thousands of female soldiers must not be made without representation for women.
More than 20% of IDF combat soldiers are currently women, the forum noted, and excluding them would harm operational capability during a manpower shortage. The organization drew parallels to Haredi models of service avoidance and warned the tactics represent a broader effort to impose sectoral dictates on the entire religious public.
- StrongPre-army seminary rabbis join hesder yeshiva heads in urging students to avoid mixed-gender units
- DevelopingHesder yeshiva union disavows rabbi-led letter opposing women in armored corps
- DevelopingLiberal authorities forum condemns hesder yeshivas' armored corps boycott as harmful exclusion
- DevelopingRabbi rules against joining military tour with female driver; commander threatens court-martial
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