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Rabbis' orders can't stop religious girls from serving in army
Yossi Yehoshua
Published: 29.01.14, 11:54
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14 Talkbacks for this article
1. Girls wearing skirts do not necessarily have to be religious
(01.29.14)
Even non-Jewish girls and women wear skirts. Most skirt-wearing girls in the IDF are not religious. At best they might be religiously reform or daati leumi.
2. Yes, they wear skirts
yehoshua ,   tzfat, israel   (01.29.14)
B"H My daughter joined ORT Chayal Avir in Chatzor. She wears a skirt. Other girls who are not religious also wanted to wear a skirt , but are not allowed, since they are not religious. So I guess if you see a female soldier in a skirt, she is religious.
3. clarification!
Chani ,   modiin   (01.29.14)
#1 - daati leumi girls are religious. They keep shabbos and kosher and when they are married they will keep taharas mishpacha. Those are the universal standards to measure a religious Jew.
4. "Rushing"
Yossi ,   Israel   (01.29.14)
An increase of 100 young ladies isn't exactly "rushing". However, it is laudutory!
5. Mavericks?
Akiva ,   NYC   (01.29.14)
In most Halachic issues there is more than one view. The Chief Rabbinate takes the main Halachic view that girls should not be soldiers, but what do the Zionist Rabbis say? Are there any mavericks who suggest the circumstances may have changed?
6. Have some of these test girls seeking religious exemption
Raymond in DC ,   Washington, USA   (01.29.14)
My understanding was that the IDF sometimes goes beyond simply accepting a claim that a girl was too "religious" to serve in the army, that they do check. But wouldn't it make sense to have some of those girls currently serving to take the lead in reviewing those claims? They know what a "religious" girl should know, and can respond to an "I can't" or "It's not allowed" with a simply "Oh, really?"
7. P.S. Rabbi Lau...
ASTRONAUT ,   SC, USA   (01.29.14)
could be that these young women would rather NOT WITNESS ANOTHER HOLOCAUST and are doing their BEST to stand STRONG for Eretz Yisrael!
8. This is no story
S Judah ,   Jerusalem   (01.29.14)
Many traditional girls are also religious, but don't observe the standards of halacha that the more observant do. There are no Haradim in this intake of girls.
9. KOL HA'KAVOD Brave Lionesses!
ASTRONAUT ,   SC, USA   (01.29.14)
Rabbi Lau should be ashamed that these idealistic, patriotic young women have more baytzim than he. Bravo Women of the IDF!
10. More ands more young religious Jews are ditching
Al   (01.29.14)
the advise of their selfish, power hungry, state funded yeshiva RABBIS to help in securing the land of Israel. Should the Arabs breach the border of Israel, all Jews therein would be slaughtered in a fortnight. We need remind these RABBIS that the RABBIS of Europe allowed their flock to be slaughtered by the Germans for they discouraged their flock to emigrate to America or Israel prior to the holocaust. I have a picture of my late Chassidic grandparents who were slaughtered by the Germans seeing off their Shomer Hatzair nephews and nieces on their way to then Palestine in the 30's. The nephews and nieces survived and their now great grandchildren are thriving in a free Israel. So much for the RABBIS.
11. Kol ha'Kavod Hayalot!
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (01.29.14)
Military service teaches things that you will not get elsewhere. There is no reason that religious young women would not find military service challenging and rewarding; it will provide new skills, future employability, and give these young women a sense of assurance and self-esteem. And it serves the State of Israel. The best of all possible worlds.
12. #10 and nor Hashomer Hatzair supports Hamas
Mordechai   (01.30.14)
And today Hashomer Hatzair AKA Meretz supports Hamas, supports BDS and calls on its followers to refuse to enlist in the army. True religious Jews now are the only hope on the state. Thankfully more and more secular Jews are becoming religious. Within a few years the vast majority of Israeli Jews will be Torah observant.
13. The Bible Authoriizes Defensive Conflict
DemocracyRules ,   Canada   (01.30.14)
"Religious girls are permitted to decline army service and choose national community service instead." -- Why? Religious Israelis can't fight? David was religious, and he fought. Sampson, Isaiah, the Maccabees... almost every biblical figure was involved in some form of physical conflict. Even Jezebel. Why do a few highly opinionated Rabbis get to control the military?
14. #12 you may be right about present day Shomer Hatzair
Al   (01.30.14)
However you missed the point of my post. The RABBIS of Europe who were close minded myopic people with their primary concern being they own power discouraged their very flock from fleeing pre-war Europe. We all know the rest of that story. Todays RABBIS are no different. They suck on the teat of the State in their bogus schnorrishe Yeshivas, while telling their naïve misguided dimwitted students not to serve in the Army. The parents of these students go along with the charade for they do not want their children to risk their lives in the Army. The question that has to be asked is who will protect these moochers should the Arabs breech the borders? The killers lie mere kilometers from your heartland. There is nothing wrong with being frum, being stupid is something else. Once that welfare teat is withdrawn from their precious little mouths, donuts to coffee, they will rush to do their service and from there into the legal work force.
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