Female public figures in the Religious Zionist community are speaking out against Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) after the Education Ministry announced that it would formulate tests to assess aid eligibility for those groups who guide and help religious female students join the IDF.
In a video, Rebbetzin Dr. Chana Katan, a well known Israeli OB-GYN physician and author of books on women's health issues,as well as Rebbetzins Esther Levanon, Orly Weitzman, and Mensbach, all of whose husbands are renowned religious Zionist rabbis, call on Bennett to rethink his decision, noting concerns over allowing the "Aluma" religious women's IDF service group into educational institutions.
Meanwhile, the Hotam Organization, whose goal is securing Judaism's position on the public's agenda, called Bennett's decision "surprising and absurd."
"The religious school system has a legal right to educational independence, and its Council decided very clearly that its female students should be guided towards doing meaningful National Service, and not towards enlisting into the IDF," Hotam said. "This decision parallels the stance of most Religious Zionists."
"[Bennett's] decision constitutes serious damage to the educational approach of both religious girls' high schools, and the students themselves. The Education Minister capitulated to the pluralistic [non-Orthodox] organizations' aggressive campaign against religious public schools, as well as against the parents of girls learning in those schools.
"We call on the Education Minister to rescind his decision and to have faith in the religious girls who are interested in contributing via National Service, the type of service which is appropriate for Religious Zionists' beliefs."
Watch the Hebrew video here: