Lt. Col. (res.) Rabbi Eitan Shalev, head of the pre-military preparatory academy in Beit Yatir, said the IDF's pilot integrating female combat soldiers into the Armored Corps was launched against the military's own will, warning it will undermine the corps' professionalism and exclude religious recruits. He called on the IDF to make clear to the High Court and others that mixed units in the Armored Corps are destructive, signalling that his institution will advise students against serving in such units.
Lt. Col. (res.) Rabbi Eitan Shalev, who heads the pre-military preparatory academy (mechina) in Beit Yatir, addressed the ongoing controversy over gender integration in the IDF Armored Corps. In remarks reported Wednesday morning, Shalev argued that the military was compelled to launch the mixed-gender pilot against its own judgment, calling the situation a dangerous path whose outcome is unknown. He warned that mixed units in the Armored Corps undermine both professional standards and the ability to integrate religious soldiers, stating, 'If the Armored Corps becomes a mixed unit — we will oppose serving there.' The statement deepens the rift between religious-Zionist educational institutions and the IDF, following similar calls by hesder yeshiva heads last week to boycott Armored Corps enlistment. As The Zioneer reported on June 10, the IDF responded that the pilot would proceed per joint-service regulations and that no men and women would share the same combat framework. The Beit Yatir academy's position adds a major pre-army seminary to the protest, broadening the base of religious-Zionist opposition ahead of potential High Court petitions on the issue.
- StrongPre-army seminary rabbis join hesder yeshiva heads in urging students to avoid mixed-gender units
- DevelopingOpinion video argues IDF armored corps gender integration weakens professionalism
- StrongRabbi Yigal Levinstein Urges Candidates to Avoid Sayeret Matkal Over Gender Integration
- DevelopingNaamat chair slams hesder yeshiva heads 'destroying IDF' with Armored Corps boycott
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Internal intake