Top IDF officers urge Barak to fight religious discrimination of women
Appeal comes in response to a series of recent events, including the boycotting of military ceremonies by religious cadets due to women singing.
By Amos Harel Tags: IDF Orthodox Jews Ehud BarakNineteen reserve major generals sent a letter last night to Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, imploring them not to allow harm to come to women's service in the army as a result of religious soldiers' demands.
The reserve officers indicated that their appeal comes in response to a series of recent events, including the boycotting of military ceremonies by religious cadets due to women singing. The petitioners warned in their letter about harm caused to the motivation of women to serve in the army, as well as to what they termed damage to "the fundamental values of Israeli society."
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IDF chief Benny Gantz, who recently asked the head of the army’s personnel directorate to examine the treatment of women in the military. |
| Photo by: Yaron Kaminsky |
Among other petitioners, the letter was signed by former heads of the Israel Air Force Avihu Bin-Nun and Amos Lapidot, and reserve major generals Menachem Einan and Zeev Livne.
The letter constitutes a new, dramatic level of intervention in an issue that has sparked controversy in the army in recent months. Outgoing head of the IDF personnel directorate, Major General Avi Zamir, stridently attacked the phenomenon of the exclusion of women in his departure letter to the chief of staff. Also, a report formulated by a consultant committee to the chief of staff related to the issue. Both of these documents were published by Haaretz.
Recently, Gantz asked the present head of the personnel directorate, Major General Orna Barbivai, to reexamine the army's treatment of the issue of "suitable integration" - that is the service of women and religious soldiers.
In their letter to Barak and Gantz, the reserve major generals wrote: "As people who served for many years in the IDF, we are writing to you about a subject of utmost importance. We do so out of genuine concern about the IDF's image as the people's army, and due to an authentic desire to preserve the army's strength, to protect the country, and to guard the fundamental democratic values of Israeli society."
The letter continues: "Recently, the media has reported several grave events pertaining to tension involving the service of religious soldiers and women soldiers in the IDF. Among other incidents, these include: religious-influenced demands that women take leave of combat positions, combat supporting positions and combat training positions to which they have been assigned; the separation of women soldiers from their units during ceremonies and official events as a result of religious considerations; demands to prevent women from singing at such events; and the demand that women be fenced in a closed, isolated area when Simhat Torah dances were held. This atmosphere harms the promotion of women to command roles in the IDF."
The writers continue: "We believe that it is the IDF's obligation to protect the rights of all people who serve in its ranks, and that joint service by women and men in the IDF is a cornerstone of its character as the people's army. The removal of women from an array of core positions, the separation of women from the public sphere, and the forcible imposition of behavioral norms suited to a small portion of the religious population upon the army as a whole - all this causes serious damage to the army's image, and does not adhere to the IDF's spirit and ethos."
The letter continues: "We also want to warn that continued harm to women in the IDF will have a negative impact upon women who approach draft age, and might bring about a situation in which women's service in the IDF will turn into merely a voluntary effort."
The letter writers call on Barak and Gantz to "issue immediate, detailed directives to IDF units, calling on them to refrain from imposing religious norms on male and female soldiers who do not [follow these norms]."
Also, the defense minister and IDF chief of staff, the letter insists, should "prevent harm being caused to women soldiers ... so as to stop the rolling snowball, a snowball which is liable in the future to harm the security of the State of Israel and the fundamental values of Israeli society as a whole."
Other major general reservists who signed the letter included former heads of the Israel Navy Ze'ev Almog and Shlomo Arel, Ori Orr, Yosef Geva, Rafael Vardi, Shlomo Gazit, Aviezer Ya'ari, Shlomo Lahat and Elad Peled.
קראו כתבה זו בעברית: אלופים במילואים לרמטכ"ל: עצור את ההקצנה הדתית בצבא
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I don't understand why you can't have a religious and secular area. The modern orthodox are the backbone of combat soldiers but this was never previously an issue. If it has become an issue why not have a separate religious observant area set aside. Obviously you can't keep women from singing or taking part in the ceremonies because it is not fair for secular women but if the observant men are not comfortable set aside a separate area for them so they don't have to mix.
Is that what we are striving to for? We are, if one likes it or not, a one and unique nation, we have already split the land between us and our arab neighbours (partners). Will the next step be to split between religious and seculars? and how about going further to split between Litvaks and Hassisime, Satmars and Gurs, Askenazis and sepharadics etc, etc. this will be the final blow to the mere existance of a peple who have somehow survived for the last three millinaries with all the glories and in spite of so many horrors, untill the present one. As is said: your destroyers and demolishers came from within you (meharsaicj umahrivaich mimech yatsau), how right was the prophet!
It is completely ridiculous to claim "incitement" by a vegetarian who boycotts meat! on animal rights advocates who boycott ivory or on a religious jew who boycotts ceremonies that would otherwise force him to disobey his religion! to rage about "incitement" here, is paramount to religious descrimination! effectively you are calling for the compromise of religion. simply b/c you dont beleive it. thats descrimination. speak about contorted perspective! here we have the provocater calling victim! i guess the PA is rubbing off on you! israel is home to the "jewish people" and is hence home to the "jewish religion" hence the reason it is called The "jewish state"
If that is the case then forget about it for my family/My kids aint going to the army!!
If the israeli govenrment wants charedim to serve then they must ocomodate their standereds. This is all a smear. Why is tolorance in israel preached only from one side. The charediem only speakup in there neifhborhoods. Plus there is no mention that the kol isha event was not regular dutiesps since when is preformances by ladies singing part of milatary duty. Shame on you haaretz as usual for only one side of the story. Learn tolerance and respect the rest of the western world understands this. By the way my father served as orthodox jew in us airforce they have tolerance. Tolerance doesnt just mean to the left of an issue but also to right. Everyone could get along if you guys would just stop harassing charedim.
It's about time they start throwing them in jail instead of pacifying them.
Was it haredim who walked out? Come now. Haredim were safe in their own (segregated) units, It was keepot serugot,. So leave the "haredim" excuse.
It is time to do what,s long overdue! SEPARATE RELIGION FROM STATE! Jewish is not only the one who follows the religious precepts,
if you live in israel and your not jewish, and you have compaints,leave! if you dont want to live under a jewish government yet your jewish, go learn history about every non-jewish government the jews lived under! if you really do your research you'll come down and come to love your bretheren and live happily in your homeland! haaretz propaganda brings me to tears..
I,m as Jewish as can be and raised initially in an orthodox family, so get a life yourself and continue living as hundreds of years ago! Remember the rol of women on the partisan struggle and the birth of our nation before we become Iranel
Are these the same people who hate the Arabs because of their large families and the way they treat their women? Mirror time.
I have no idea why some people refer to Israel as a democracy. Just because there are elections this does not make a democracy. Iran also has elections as does lebanon and other nations that Israel would not care to be compared to. Obviously elections do not make a democracy. The backbone of any democracy is equal rights for all citizens. Do we have this in Israel. Not by a country mile. For Israel's supporters: please don't embarrass youselves by claiming that because Israel has elections that Israel is a democracy. Tell us instead that Israel guarantees equal rights for all citizens. We need a good laugh!
you make all these statements because you are naive to the reality. The ony discrimination in israel is because of security concerns. You want to talk discrimination and equal rights? How come I cannot live, as a jew, in any arab country in the world? Half of the arab countries won't even allow anyone with an israeli passport to fly on their airlines, let alone enter their countries. You can't tell me that this isn't antisemitism. So show me proof.... Show me how Israeli arabs can't vote. Israeli arabs sit in the Israeli parliament. Can you say the opposite in any arab country?
The US has been a democracy for all its existance, even though for most of its history there were no equal rights for blacks
so not letting woman sing where men are, or not letting them appear on advertisement posters in Jerusalem or having to sit in the back of the bus, is this due t security concerns?
There are many ways to be a good Jew. Orthodoxy is the least of them, in fact it is not one of them.. Just as the Orthodox Jews separate from women in temple, they should be isolated from the rest of the soldiers in the Army. Let them train and fight as units and do the difficult dangerous missions. God will protect them.
The majority of special forces soldiers in israel are religious. Why are you so jaded? Not all the orthodox are crazy like you see in the papers.
This happenings concern me, israel is expected to be a democray! Not a theocraty! sighs...
Banning women from public ads, integrated buses, military functions, etc., for "religious" reasons has no place in modern Israel. Their "religious" reasons are nothing more than open admission that women are owned by their husbands and are their private sex toys , cooks and housekeepers, and otherwise inferior in every way. This is not religious. This is a twisted mentality demanding that we go back to the days of the patriarchs. Soon we will hear demands that men should have multiple wives and concubines, like Solomon and David. Slaves can't be far behind. These zealots have hijacked a two thousand year old dream of all Jews and are slowly trying to convert the dream into a modern nightmare. Israel beware. When Torah in its entirety becomes the law of the land there will be a new diaspora . G-d help us all.
Women are revered in most Jewish societies. The most important role in life is raising and educating the children. Most religious people world wide lead normal modern lives and only take 1 day off per week for religious duties. I agree that the country should not be torah based, however the morality of the society has to be based on something. Every society needs a code of ethics, not just modern law. Yes, in today's society it is ok for a man to sleep with a different women every night(bar hopping), but today we actually understand the dangers of a lifestyle like that. The government cannot dictate what makes us good, honest people. The reason that israel is in so much trouble now, is because, as a society we have forgotten our roots. We have forgotten how to are supposed to act towards one another.
Judaism is a wonderful religion. And if we want it to stay that way, it needs to continue being apolitical as it has been through all of its recent history. When religion becomes a political force, it becomes evil. Look at medieval Catholicism. Look at Islam. Ask yourself if that is what you want Judaism to look like, because that is the path you are heading down. Aside from that, it is not the role of religion to define morality for people who don't follow it. Let society work out its own morality. It'll be better for everyone. This path will lead to one of two places- oppression of the secular, or oppression of the religious. There's no reason for these groups to be on a collision course. All that's needed is for everyone to mind their own business, and leave everyone else alone. After all, isn't that what morality is all about?
"The most important role in life is raising and educating the children." Yeah, educate --brainwash--them to serve. Somebody's got to do the dirty work, right? And who prays every day- thank God I'm not a woman? They got that right!!
You would rather brainwash them to 'serve' by working 10 hours a day in some office or restaurant... Who is to say that it is more discriminating for women to work at home than for them to build a bridge somewhere. I call that you have brainwashed women into thinking that they must slave all day at a job. That you think raising children and ruling the home is a 'dirty job' speaks volumes about your upbringing and your world view.
If IDF wants religious to serve they have to assure they can serve without compromising their religious beliefs.
really? I dont believe that! And dont forget, being religious means not being hostile to women, means not being orthodox.
The combat units in israel are mostly made up of religious men because they mostly volunteer for combat units. National pride is barely seen in the non-religious world in israel. There are complete units that have no women at all, in order to accommodate for religious views. The Haredim do not server in the army, but they are only a small part of israel. Many religous work, live lives, build businesses. Please stop being so naive!
Compromising their beliefs? What about the beliefs of the women who serve? Should their beliefs be compromised at the expense of not compromising the orthodox beliefs. Sorry but this is a new world where society strives to have equal rights for everyone. Descrimination is a thing of the past so Get with the program or get out! And you say if the army wants the religious to serve? How about if the religious want the army to serve them? To protect them? To train them and arm them? Given the recent letters to Barak you're only creating a dividing line in what is already a small Jewish population relative to the rest of the world.
After this choice is made all the subordinate choices fall into line.
isnt a soldier with a backbone... in the army only the defense has to count, nothing else... you religious people cant, so it cant be counted on you...
For your information there is an entire Battalion for just charedim. That's a Gedud. There is another Battalion for charedi reservists. There are also multiple programs in other units such as the airforce for just charedim. Wake up and smell the roses; Slowly the charedim are trickling into the army. What you don't seem to understand is that religion is a way of life. A state or army cannot force charedim to break their religion. Surely you see the irony is that for 2000 years non-jews have been trying to get jews to become irreligious, and now that there is a jewish state, other jews are trying. Are you joking? Jews who survived millennia or tyranny to protect their values will break now? You should be ashamed of yourselves. You talk about discrimination. You would force someone to hear a girl sing? Would you force a vegi to eat meat? If it is important to defence then there is something to talk about. But for a ceremony? Tell me ur kidding.
It is interesting that the people most in favor of the misbegotten policies are those least likely to serve themselves in the armed forces.
It's time Israels society did something about that.