Members of the Council of the Association of Hesder Yeshivas sent a letter to the deans of the Hesder yeshivas clarifying their position onthe integration of female soldiers into combat units and the enlistment of Hesder yeshiva students into the Armored Corps.
The letter stated that since the Supreme Court ruling, council members have been working “in many ways" to prevent a situation in which female combat soldiers serve together with male soldiers who observe halacha.
According to them, these efforts are being carried out in cooperation with rabbis from the religious Zionist community, including heads of higher yeshivas and rabbis of pre-military academies from a variety of streams within the national-religious public.
They further noted that many meetings have taken place in recent weeks, during which they made clear their position that joint service of male and female soldiers in a manoeuvring combat unit is not possible for soldiers who observe halacha.
According to the council members, an ongoing dialogue is being held with the IDF with the goal of enabling halacha-observant soldiers to enlist in the Armored Corps in accordance with their religious values.
“We will make every effort to enable the enlistment of our students into the Armored Corps in the upcoming draft without harming their values," they wrote.
The council members emphasized that: “The letter that appeared in the media in recent days regarding enlistment to the Armored Corps is not a letter from the council," adding that the publication of such a letter contradicts their position.
The letter was signed by the deans of yeshivas who are members of the Council of the Association of Hesder Yeshivas.