Rabbi Eliyahu Tufik, head of the Ba'er Yehuda Yeshiva, argued that the Israeli military could not accommodate haredi boys because of the presence of women in the IDF. He suggested that boys who did not study should contribute in civilian roles instead of military service.
"The army cannot accommodate haredi boys. If the army were without women, we might have been able to discuss it," Rabbi Tufik said on Kol Barama Radio on Wednesday. "Even if there were a haredi brigade, today it would be one way, and tomorrow the another; the High Court would say it cannot be without women. However, boys who do not study can contribute in civilian areas, following a proper path, not through the army."
The inclusion of women in the IDF had been a longstanding policy, reflecting Israel's commitment to equality and the integration of diverse population groups within its military framework. This policy became a central issue in the debates surrounding the haredi draft. The IDF's commitment to gender equality and the integration of women in various roles was seen as a potential obstacle to the inclusion of haredi men, who adhered to strict religious guidelines regarding gender interactions.
Ba'er Yehuda Yeshiva, led by Rabbi Tufik, was a prominent haredi institution focused on intensive Torah study. This type of yeshiva emphasized rigorous religious education and adherence to traditional Jewish laws and customs, making the integration of its students into a mixed-gender military environment particularly challenging.
Legislative efforts and government responses
The Israeli government was under pressure to draft more haredim to meet the IDF's manpower needs. The Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee was debating a new draft bill aimed at increasing haredi enlistment. However, this process was fraught with challenges, including legal and social resistance from the haredi community and political tensions within the government.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant emphasized the necessity of integrating haredi men into the IDF due to current security demands and the loss of soldiers in recent conflicts. The IDF had developed special service tracks to accommodate haredi religious practices, but the integration of women remained a contentious issue.
Political implications
The draft issue had significant political repercussions, with some Knesset members advocating for concessions to avoid destabilizing the government. The tension between the need to meet the IDF's requirements and the haredi community's insistence on maintaining their religious lifestyle during and after service highlighted the broader challenges Israel faced in balancing the needs and values of its diverse communities.
The debate over the haredi draft and the inclusion of women in the IDF reflected deeper societal tensions within Israel. The haredi community's resistance to military service, particularly in mixed-gender units, underscored the challenges of integrating diverse religious and secular values within a single national framework. The government's efforts to pass a new draft bill were part of a broader attempt to find a compromise that respected religious practices while meeting national security needs.
Eliav Breuer and Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.