File photo
Photo: Shutterstock
Legal aid offered to women seeking military exemption
An organization which objects to women serving in the military is now offering legal counsel for religious women who are seeking military exemption due to religious observance.
The Chotam organization, which objects to women serving in the IDF, has launched a legal assistance center for women who are called for an interview in the IDF induction center to prove their religious observance.
According to the organization, this came following many complaints filed by religious women who claim that this happened even though they were exempted from military service due to religious observance.
Haredi woman (File photo: Shutterstock)
The organization claims that the IDF is trying to make it harder for the women and are randomly selecting them for additional interviews.
A poster distributed by the organization in Jewish institutions and education centers reads, "Female religious observer—have you received a military order to report for an enlistment interview? You are not alone.
"Many religious female students exempted from military service due to religious observance have received that very same order, in violation of the law. The Chotam organization offers you legal counsel and assistance to keep your religious rights and your legal right to receive military exemption and perform National Service instead."
National Service is an alternative voluntary national service in Israel for those that cannot or do not wish to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. The majority who receive an exemption from the obligatory army service are Jewish women from the Religious Zionist sector, and they receive it by declaring religious observance, as they maintain that a large number of religious observances for women cannot be upheld in the military, such as dress codes and modesty issues.
Haredi protest against the draft (Photo: Ofer Meir)
In a statement given to the Chotam organization, a religious woman spoke about IDF's induction interview. "They asked me question about Jewish law and the religion. Most of them were basic, but some not so much," she told her legal counsel, giving examples of the questions she was asked.
"It was a very unpleasant experience. I just wanted to escape," she summarized.
About a month ago the Chotam organization shared a provocative video where a religious woman is seen allegedly losing her values in the military service. The video was highly criticized as inciting to insubordination. Following the video, many religious women serving in the IDF came out in protest over their service.
In addition to establishing the legal assistance center, the Chotam organization sent a letter to the IDF induction center in the Tel Hashomer army base, calling the women's double summons illegal.
(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
