A group of leading rabbis identified with the Religious Zionist community sent a sharply phrased letter to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu cautioning against proposals to broaden the inclusion of women in frontline combat roles, particularly within the Armored Corps.

In their message, the rabbis warned that transforming the Armored Corps into a mixed-gender framework would place their students in a direct clash between adherence to religious law and participation in military service. They pointed to scenarios such as male and female soldiers sharing the confined space of a tank, writing that such arrangements are irreconcilable with halakha.

The rabbis underscored that many of their students serve in key combat positions in the Israel Defense Forces with deep dedication, regarding their enlistment as both a national duty and a sacred mission. At the same time, they voiced serious concern over what they described as an accelerated effort to integrate female combat soldiers into central fighting units. They stated that the IDF’s power is not derived only from its operational capabilities, but also from its spiritual character, adding that preserving standards of sanctity and modesty in military settings is vital not just for observant soldiers, but for the army’s overall strength and effectiveness.

According to the letter, the rabbis had avoided public criticism throughout long months of warfare out of a sense of collective responsibility. However, they wrote that recent moves left them compelled to object openly to mixed-gender service that, in their view, conflicts with Jewish law, longstanding tradition, and the foundational principles of the state. They further cautioned that advancing such policies would contradict the IDF’s declared objective of increasing enlistment among religious and haredi recruits.

The letter argues that redesignating the Armored Corps as a mixed unit—similar to previous adjustments in the Artillery Corps, where the number of religious soldiers has reportedly declined significantly—would effectively prevent Torah-observant servicemen from serving in major combat roles. The rabbis warned this could diminish the army’s fighting capacity and weaken the idea of a unified “people’s army.” They also took issue with what they characterized as the introduction of outside social agendas that, in their view, are disconnected from operational necessity or security considerations.

Concluding their appeal, the rabbis urged the Prime Minister to ensure that the IDF remains an institution in which soldiers can serve in line with their religious convictions, emphasizing that this is essential for both military victory and national cohesion. They requested an immediate meeting with Netanyahu in hopes of stopping the plan before it develops into what they described as a grave and irreversible crisis.

{Matzav.com}