An end-of-training ceremony for Golani Brigade soldiers at Golani Junction sparked disappointment among some religious soldiers and their families after organizers announced that women's singing would be included as part of the event.
According to the father of one of the graduating soldiers, attendees were informed before the ceremony began that female vocal performances would accompany the program and that anyone who objected could step aside during those portions. Parents had arrived at the site as early as 5:00 a.m. to attend the ceremony following the soldiers' concluding march.
The father said that, in practice, a number of religious soldiers and their families repeatedly left the parade ground whenever female soldiers performed. However, he argued that the loudspeaker system surrounding the area meant they could still hear the singing, making the arrangement ineffective. Throughout the ceremony, officers addressed the graduates and praised their families, with musical performances alternating between speeches. "You could see mothers with headscarves and fathers wearing kippot walking aside again and again," he said.
According to the father, his own son joined the groups leaving during the performances, returning to formation after each song before departing again when the next performance began. "It was a disgrace," he said, adding that his son later told him, "Is this what we walked dozens of kilometers all night for, that they would spit in our faces?" The father said the experience left many feeling they were being singled out rather than accommodated.
After the ceremony, several parents reportedly tried to locate the unit's rabbi, who had attended similar events in the past, but were told he had already left. "We couldn't do much," the father said. "It's a military ceremony, and we respect the army and the event, but I don't understand how mutual that respect really is."