Israel – Military Rabbi: Women Shouldn’t Serve in the Army

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    Israel – Women ought not to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, IDF Chief Rabbi Avichai Ronski said at a conference.

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    The conference was attended by several dozen religious women soldiers, and the topic was supposed to be the special problems they face.

    Most religious women opt to do civilian national service instead of army service. But Ronski told the women, “I personally think that a priori, women should not serve in the army,” adding that no rabbinic rulings authorize women to do so. He has since denied making the comment.

    Most Orthodox rabbis, his predecessors included, would agree with Ronski. But most of the others have been careful not to say so while in uniform.

    And some of those present, including some Orthodox rabbis and educators, were furious at Ronski’s statement.
    “I’m not surprised that this is his opinion,” said one woman. “But that he chose to say it in front of dozens of religious women soldiers, who have done something that is not easy for them – that is insensitivity.”

    Several women said they found his remarks particularly outrageous because he met his own wife while she was serving as a company clerk in his army unit.

    Rabbi Ohad Tohar-Lev of Midreshet Lindenbaum, one of the few religious institutions for women that offers a program combining Torah study with army service, said he personally believes “there are some army positions that a woman should serve in a priori.” He added that he has no objection to Ronski expressing the contrary opinion, “but one has to ask the leaders of the army whether there isn’t a problem with the very appointment of someone who holds this view.”

    Yet Tohar-Lev, along with several others who criticized Ronski’s remark, all praised him for the fact that despite his views, he tries to help religious women solve any problems they encounter in the army.

    “The message is that it’s better not to be drafted,” said one religious woman soldier. “But from the moment we are in uniform, there’s a great deal of assistance.”
    In this, Ronski differs sharply from his predecessors, many of whom refused to help religious women soldiers on the grounds that they should not have enlisted to begin with.

    Several women at the conference complained that the religious education system does not support them in their decision to serve. “Do you want me to speak with your school principals?” Ronski responded.

    Ronski also discussed the rabbinic prohibition against physical contact between unmarried men and women, noting that some religious women observed this prohibition while doing their army service, but others did not.

    Ronski has spoken out in the past against integrating women into combat units, arguing that women cannot realize their full potential in combat units, that putting men and women together under such difficult conditions creates all kinds of sexual problems, and that having women in these units offends the sensibilities of male religious soldiers. But he has said he favors using women as instructors in the army, because they tend to have personality traits appropriate for this job, such as “delicacy, patience and persistence.”

    An IDF Spokesman said last night that Ronski denied making the comment, and said he merely had commented on the difficulties facing some women during their military service.

    “The IDF chief rabbi told those attending the conference that during his visits to IDF units, he witnessed the difficulties that religious women had in integrating, due to the inability to permit them to serve in accordance with Jewish law,” the office said.


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    55 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    In a continuing saga of these rabbonim talking without using their head, this excuse for a rav manages to insult the brave women of the IDF who at great personal cost and risk have chosen to volunteer to defend EY. It is almost like their is somthing impulsive that drives them to make such stupid comments which are so hurtful and wrong. There are bigger rabbonim and gadolei torah in EY for over 50 years have ruled that women may serve under the proper circumstances. Hopefully, rav ronski will appologize to the women of the IDF and then resign his position before he is terminated.

    shlemiel
    shlemiel
    14 years ago

    Over 60 years ago, it has been ruled by all our biggest gedoilim that women serving in the military is “BeYehereg VeAl Yavor” translation:one should rather get killed then join the shmutzige military.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    I agree with this how many mamzerim were born through this? unknown.

    reb lazer hakuten
    reb lazer hakuten
    14 years ago

    At The time of the establishment of the Medineh shel gehennom. The Gedolim of the time (brisker Rov, Chazon Ish and others) were all against Civilian National service. ( sherut Leumi)

    Shmuel
    Shmuel
    14 years ago

    perhaps if all the men including chardei yeshiva boys served in the military there would be no need for women to serve…think of what a mitzva they could be part of in freeing young jewish women from conscription..(religious women can already opt out if they so choose)..

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    fore all those kabblalh lovers look at the zohar parshas vayakhail what it written about this inyan on the possuk vayahail pikuday

    David
    David
    14 years ago

    Israel does not (and, I think, should not) put women in combat. But there is ample room for them to serve; moreover, that women should serve has long been the policy of the Israeli army. A rabbi who chooses to put on the uniform does have some obligation to either support the policy (at least publicly) or remove the uniform. In any case, misogyny is really not a necessary feature of Judaism.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    “women should not serve in the army”

    this is old news. not only do the charedi rabbonim agree, but the mizrachi rabbonim have mostly agreed to this as well. some gedolei yisroel even pasken a girl who served in the army is no longer b’cheskas besula and loses her right to 200 zuz on her kesubah.

    robert
    robert
    14 years ago

    This is all wonderful..I think that they should stop allowing women serve in the army on the proviso that all of us here go there and serve…mr millhouse are you ready to wear a uniform and carry a gun and train for war (moses went to war with his sons remember) with your children if they are of age? If you cant walk the walk dont talk the talk (VIN people are all great talkers)

    berel
    berel
    14 years ago

    #47 that exactly but bnot only chazon eish….but its a pashute zach….