New army program aims to recruit Haredi women to IDF
The recruits are to be trained as computer programmers in Military Intelligence and separated from male soldiers.
By Anshel PfefferThe IDF has launched an experimental project to recruit ultra-Orthodox women for the first time, tailoring the service to their way of life and providing them with a sought after profession. The project's success is not yet clear.
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Haredi women in a class in Mea She’arim. |
| Photo by: Tess Scheflan |
The army recruited a few dozen ultra-Orthodox women some two months ago to be trained as computer programmers in Military Intelligence. They will serve in teams with women commanders and be separated from males.
The IDF has launched several projects over the past three years to draft ultra-Orthodox men, mainly for technological positions in the Air Force, Military Intelligence and teleprocessing. The number of ultra-Orthodox recruits has recently exceeded 1,000.
The men's service programs were created in cooperation with senior Haredi rabbis for married men of over 20 who graduated from yeshivas and want to join the workforce.
The Haredi recruits' commanders are all men, they receive kosher food approved by Haredi rabbis and their schedule enables prayers, daily studies and going home to their families on evenings and weekends.
The Haredi women's draft is supervised by the chief of staff's adviser for women's affairs and their service is tailored for married women, consisting of regular schedules and enabling maternity leave when required.
The program must overcome the taboo on military service in the ultra-Orthodox community. Haredi women have already been exempted from service at 18 for religious and conscientious reasons, while men are required by law to join the army as soon as they leave the yeshiva.
IDF sources say the women's program has chances of being a success among young Haredi women, many of whom are their family's sole breadwinner. The military service provides them with a profession and monthly wages, enabling them to feed their family during their service and training.
The Haredi men's requirements to serve in separate teams with male-only commanders and with no women in the room constitute an obstacle to IDF policy, as it prevents women from serving as commanders in such teams and hinders their promotion.
Some women officers in Military Intelligence have already made complaints to this effect.
Until now the Finance Ministry has funded the project to recruit ultra-Orthodox men and women, hoping army service will pay off with their integration into the general labor market.
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And there are thousands of Israeli Arabs who would be willing to join and wouldn't require such ridiculous requirements for service either. Well, only that they're treated equal.
Even in the Dati Leumi community many rabbis think it is halachically forbidden for women to serve in the army. This is based on actual halachic sources, not politics and self-interest like the charedi opposition to male service. Therefore I expect this program will only attract a few borderline members of the charedi community. Which is a pity because it sounds like a great deal for the IDF and for the charedim. If it were in an officially non-military framework, it might have a chance of working.
I hope they will meet some cool, secular guys that do not treat women like an inferior species.
This is a wonderful concept. But why stop at haredi women? Why not give haredi men a chance to liberate themselves from the dark dungeon of indolence, cigarette smoking and looking for ways to make trouble because their lives are empty, boring and devoid of any productive activity beyond figuring out ways to beat the system, double dip, schnorr in shtiebels, and hoodwink others into underwriting their lifestyle? Why should haredi women have to w work, and make babies, and take care of the household while their husbands do absolutely nothing?
Properly handled, this a win-win initiative. Service, integration, good brains for the IDF and later for the job market, breaking down barriers of mistrust. To those Officers and Gentlewomen who will not be allowed to command Haredi men, male officers will not be allowed to command Haredi ladies and, anyway, without the Haredi intake, there would be no one to command. Please don't shoot down a good idea in the name of PC.
Could this be the one 'light unto nations' finally? TATA
love it