To my beloved brothers and sisters, who are indeed as my own flesh and blood -- please don't let the media's intentional efforts to draw up the dust and dirt also pull you into it. Be wise, be cool -- if anything, turn your anger against the media that has deceived and frauded you out of truth, peace and ways of kindness. Just say "NO!!" to the media's cloak of ugly darkness and rally your inner strength to withstand the test. Wishes for your sure success

Then the newspapers and readers will stop wasting their time talking about such utter nonsense. You will be talking about the war instead.

Don't put them in jail if they leave. JUST CUT THEIR BENEFITS FOR LIFE!!!

What are you religious waiting for ?? Leave as soon as possible The less religious in the army is only GOOD for the IDF. Nobodyy allows religion to try to use military orders for the belief of idols

"just do it"

The protesting soldiers should sit in jail for the maximum sentence for being foolish to follow their Ravs who know not the Halacha.

Shut up. Don't be so high n mighty because ur living in israel and some of us left but still have opinions on how things are working there.

Would they prefer if the women cry ?

So they chase away religious soldiers already trained, what does that cost and what does it cost to allow them to leave a bunch of women singing? IDF leadership has too many balls, not enough common sense.

I'm confused, are the Haredi in the army to protect the country and fight if required or to listen to singing?

Let Dana International be the singer!

If the women sing Hatikvah during the raising or loweing of the Magen - David does that count as well.

When the USA fought the Imperial Japanese the Japanese used a woman referred to as Tokyo Rose as a propoganda tool. The Japanese used loudspeakers to force the Americans to listen to her daily speeches. Hamas and all other Israeli foes should take the hint and get their women to sing or chant Islamic melodies.

What the heck is wrong with you people? Is making a soldier hear a woman sing so important that you would destroy a growing sector of your army for it? Compromise is necessary. So much for your contempt for the haredi - when they do participate you treat them like crap.

Most of the comment here are from Christians in the US part of the Christian United movement. I recommend these people mind their own businesses and stay out of our internal affairs. Worry about your own country.

If he still has kids in Israel that means they still contribute to the State as well. I hope to do that some day once my education is complete. Why do you always seem so angry by the way?

if they dont want to serve then dont give them any welfare.How can u say your totaly commtited to being jewish but think not hearing a woman sing is more important than defending your country,your people,your culture.What happened to REAL JEWISH VALUES ? the rabbi's FAILED because they are stuck in the stone ages and do not even remotley know how to make sense any more.THERE IS NOTHING SPIRITUAL ABOUT RELIGION ANYMORE !!!!!

what exactly DO THEY contribute ? and please dont tell me they pray for me because i know first hand they dont pray for any one but them selves ?and YES,i was born in jerusalem,lived in isreal and left because i saw that jewish there is nothing even remotly holy bout the place any more

...I have left my house several times over my wife's singing. I could probably have Amnasty Int'l file suit on my behalf. What she does to music is a war and peace process crime. Come to think of it; maybe she should join the "quartet".

While it seems pretty dumb to "force" anyone, even in the army, to listen to the glee club (though earplugs are a perfectly acceptable solution if the army wants to remain irrational), it's utterly ridiculous for a religious soldier to insist that he not listen to a lecture by a female, especially an officer who occupies a high ranking position. Essentially both camps have to arrive at a middle ground, but good luck with that ever happening! Obeying kol isha in any capacity will continued to be derided by segments of the secular public as infringing on a woman's rights (even if the man elects to take personal measures to avoid this, without requiring different behavior from the woman), while the right wing segments of the orthodox will insist that it's good policy to insist that women not speak in public at all to religious soldiers. Really dumb. I thought we were a smart people.

There ARE no Islamic melodies. Jihadist Jingles or Gazan dittie do not exist. Besides how can you set yourself off or cut one's throat when noodeling thru Achmed bin Kvetchin and his all Ewe chorus?

And now all of you who feel that way can go back to talking about how awful and insular the Haredim are, and who do they think they are. It's not like they're humans, right? Sorry, chabibi, you make a promise, you keep it. That goes for the IDF's promises to religious soldiers, whether haredi or dati leumi.

If the extreme religious orthodox rabbis have their way, Israel will be treating their women like the extremist Islamists do. We are commanded to worship and sing to YHWH (יהוה) (Judges 5:1, 1Cronicles 16:23, Numbers 21:16-17, Psalms 66:4, 96:1, Zephaniah 2:0, 3:14, and many more.), but instead it is more important for them to create division, keep adding to the laws, and create more burdens. It looks like the blind following the blind. I have even heard that some would rather die, or leave the armed services before listening to women sing. Assuredly Israel’s enemies must be rejoicing.

It leaves me open-mouthed that such an opinion is accepted. No, not the way you think. I am thinking exactly along those lines and almost neevr tolerated to have my say. The whole country, the whole shebang is a despicable bolshevik conspiracy indeed. That's the truth and nothing but the truth! Kol haKavod brother! But I am uncomfortable with your last line and even disagree. Do NOT mock these dear soldiers please for others' sins. It's clear that the antidemocratic, tyrannical (Left) traitors in charge betrayed them no less than the country in general. And this site is also their tools, sadly.

Good riddance, actually.

No soldier refused to take part in any military task with women: they do not refuse to work with female kambatz and sambatz. Their sniper, explosives, machine gun, tank instructors are all women, as are most medic instructors. You can't find any case where any haredi soldier refused to cooperate, including touching female medic instructors. The problem is Barbivai is a jobnik. She thinks that a singer is more important then an infantry or tank soldier. She does not understand that her job is to make conditions so that the combat soldiers will be ready to charge to their death. Ask a kravi what he wants to improve morale and esprit de corps, he'll say more time to sleep, tickets to football matches, the occasional al ha'esh, warm clothes and more ammunition for training. But jobnik Barbivai will instead give them third rate singers (male and female) and punish them if they don't enjoy it.