Three religious Givati Brigade soldiers were sentenced Sunday to 10 days in military prison after refusing to enter an armored personnel carrier with a female medic, triggering an uproar among rabbinic and political figures who accused the IDF of disregarding the religious commitments of observant troops.

The three soldiers, members of the Rotem Battalion and students at Hesder yeshivas, declined to board a Namer armored vehicle while their unit was operating in the Gaza Strip.

The prison sentences quickly drew condemnation from religious and political leaders, who charged that the military had failed to respect accommodations for religious soldiers and had placed them in a situation that conflicted with Jewish law.

Noam Party chairman MK Avi Maoz placed responsibility for the episode on Israel’s political and defense leadership. “Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, this is on your watch. You are turning your back on IDF soldiers,” he said. “Givati soldiers, Rotem Battalion, you risked your lives with self-sacrifice in Lebanon, and today the army is turning its back on you. It is not acceptable that with one hand the army calls on the haredim to enlist, and with the other it harms outstanding soldiers who want to live according to their faith. Even if you are required to sit in prison, do it with your head held high and Jewish pride. Free to be a Jew.”

Rabbi Dror Aryeh, a rabbi at the Hesder yeshiva in Sderot, sharply criticized the soldiers’ punishment as well. “This is brazen arrogance without parallel,” he said. “The Minister of Defense failed to protect dedicated soldiers from progressive theatrics. The soldiers are heroes; jail will not break them. They are the pillar of fire before the camp, and they will be remembered for generations as the true victors in this bizarre story. Their commanders acted contrary to Jewish law and contrary to orders. Those who should have been tried were the commanders who violated the procedures.”

Wives of Soldiers for the Sanctity of the Camp, an organization advocating on issues of religious standards in the military, demanded that the three soldiers be freed immediately and called for action against the officers responsible for the incident.

“We demand that the soldiers be released immediately and that those who mistreat them be punished. The agenda of progressive coercion has reached the lowest moral low point and resulted in extreme, violent action. The IDF is a Jewish army; Jewish law, the mitzvah and sanctity are our guiding principles. Observant Jews should not be treated like a discarded object by commanders who are not worthy of that. This is a disgrace and a badge of shame for the IDF chief of staff and the Minister of Defense.”

The group warned that incidents of this kind could also damage attempts to persuade more chareidim to enter the military. “You will not be able to talk about drafting the haredim as long as observant Jews in the IDF are being persecuted for the existence of Torah and sanctity,” it said.

Rabbi Hagai Lundin, head of the Holon yeshiva, had earlier sent a message of encouragement to the Rotem Battalion soldiers, framing their refusal in the context of their religious beliefs and the approaching Rosh Hashanah.

“Dear friends, I want to remind you now, in the month of Elul ahead of Rosh Hashanah, of the things the rabbi writes in his introduction to the cycle,” Lundin said. He went on to explain that the central focus of a person’s prayers on Rosh Hashanah should be the revelation of Hashem’s kingship rather than his own personal concerns.

“In other words, on Rosh Hashanah, it is a good day that a person must decide with whom he works. Does he work for his own interests, or does he work for Your blessed kingdom, with the Holy One, blessed be He? And you stood precisely in that test. You are not working for the media, nor with the progressive operation, nor for all kinds of people who think that the state belongs to them. You are working for the Master of the Universe, who goes through with Israel, through what the rabbis told you, through the IDF, which is the order to remain in the camp in the humility of purity and sanctity.”

“Therefore, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed,” he concluded. “You did what needed to be done, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will lead the events exactly where they need to go. We are all with you, and most importantly, our Father in Heaven is with you. Wishing you success and a good year.”

The confrontation took place in the Rotem Battalion as troops operating in Gaza prepared for an operational mission that was to include travel in a Namer armored vehicle. A female medic was assigned to be inside the vehicle.

The three soldiers refused to enter. Sources familiar with what happened said they were then asked whether another member of the platoon would agree to participate in the mission, but the soldiers responded that none of their fellow troops were prepared to do so.

According to a source familiar with the episode, the company commander spoke directly with the soldiers and stressed that the mission was both important and urgent. The soldiers nevertheless continued to refuse. The source said the brigade rabbi was brought into the matter and authorized the mission to proceed with the female medic because of the operational urgency and importance involved.

Rabbi Tzvi Kostiner, head of the yeshiva in Mitzpeh Ramon, and Rabbi Shlomo Shushan, head of the yeshiva in Beit She’an, were also reported to have directed their students serving in the company not to enter a combat vehicle when a female medic was inside.

The Association of Hesder Yeshivas backed the soldiers, maintaining that their conduct was consistent with the IDF’s joint service regulations and arguing that soldiers who adhered to those arrangements should not have been disciplined.

The IDF, however, said its joint service regulations generally entitle soldiers who observe a religious lifestyle to conduct operational activities within a gender-segregated framework, while allowing exceptions in unusual circumstances. According to the military, the soldiers’ refusal ultimately prevented the force from carrying out the planned operational mission, which was subsequently canceled.

{Matzav.com}