"women's parliament" founder and a teacher? you are a poor excuse for any educator as the premise of your article rests on faulty, and downright false logic. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about and I find it offense that I had to dedicate 2 minutes reading this rubbish. I am shocked Ynet does not have better quality control.

Another stupid feminist who is confused about what is considered "respect". These soldiers are doing what real men do - they use their strength to protect women and children. We here in Israel are surrounded by enemies, many of whom think that if a woman shows more than here eyes she can be punished. If she is seen with a man who is not her husband or brother they can kill her. THIS is the real disrespect shown by men for women- not wearing an amulet filled with perfume.

Obviously, this writer doesn't have a clue. First of all, some soldiers don't have girlfriends. Oops, there goes the entire theory. Second, most soldiers don't even consider idiocy of this sort. Third, most soldiers are serving because they believe they are protecting the idea of their ideal of the country and those who think about it some more are doing it to protect their families - fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, cousins, nephews, nieces, old, young, middle aged. Fourth, the army is actually not connected to "girlfriends" except in one key way: having one is the only way to get a real break from the army and its pains. Seriously, this writer has a doctorate and teaches? Her ideological bias is so prevalent in her thinking that she can't see straight. Shameful article.

And I've seen better content and grammar from a 5 year old

I had to struggle to get past the 2nd paragraphs of this garbage. "The "ultimate" test of this manliness is war: They must be willing to kill people and risk their own lives for the country". Israel soldiers fight because they have no other choice. They are defending their families and friends, and it gets no simpler than that. They can't run away which is one reason that the IDF is the best in the middle east and perhaps in the world. Our soldiers have nowhere to run to and need no greater motivation than that.

They are willing to die so you can write this total schlock.

I have never read any op ed more degrading, demeaning, demoralizing and NONSENSICAL from WHY-net up till now. You demean, degrade and demoralize both our young men and women that are serving in the army by this bull s*** article! Esther Hertzog, this is REALLY GROSS!

in our army, the writer is not looking very hard. This is one of those sexist things that really does no woman any harm. Find something serious to fight about.

Sounds like a woman scorned.

The army is about individuals working together through a chain of command to protect the country it is not an institute where we must all be politically correct. The Parachute Regiment is a combat unit in which its more important than ever to have moral and be a unified group. The Patchouli is a tradition thats been going back for many many years now and if the soldiers themselves see it as some kind of symbol of unity then they should be allowed to have it. Assuming its not just legend that it contains vaginal fluid remember they wouldn't have the stuff unless a woman actually agreed to it. If the woman was consenting then how is it it insulting to women? Should we ban soldiers working on Shabbat because that shows contempt for the thousands of religious soldiers in the IDF? If we were talking about soldiers with very boring office job in the IDF I would say the Patchouli whilst harmless should not be allowed because it is bad taste but when its a combat unit and your putting your life on the line and rely on the guy next to you to keep you alive if then if you have a harmless custom like this thats a moral booster then why not. Lets not try and make the army politically correct because if we do it can only be damaging to moral.

This woman is disgusting and should not be teaching anyone! Through the ages women have written scented letters to their men at war. It is foolish women like this who debase our men and have set our society on a downwards spiral. Butt out Esther and get a life...

how dare you judge the infantrymen? have you been to gaza? to lebanon? have you seen your friends shot and killed? have you spent weeks away from your loved ones in combat? how dare you judge what helps a soldier through these times. Be ashamed of yourself.

glorious army. If being extremely well prepared for war,nothing left to chance,we will win, as G-Ds soldiers defending His people and and the land given by Him to the Jews. With G-Ds help. Israel needs leaders to lift up the soldiers Jewish souls. With faith we can move mountains.

will say any idiotic stupidity just to bet published!

This lady must have a lot of time on her hands. The whole idea of taking young men unleashing and training the killer in them while historic and traditional, is not "sane". So why expect the rituals around it to be sane and 'respectful'? To kill, one must break the learning of 18 years at a woman's knee. To survive the bleakness and insanity of war, They must learn to ignore and hold in contempt the human values taught to them and supplant them with others. You fight not for country or family. You fight to survive and protect those who fight along with you. You do it as quickly as you can to be able to escape from it. In that total hell, just what is a vial of patchouli oil? Nothing. You're unhappy that these ugly matters aren't different? You can have a poet in peacetime, and a warrior in war, but don't allow them to be exchanged. There can be no such thing as a Philosopher King.

of half-baked thinking often strikes a chord with the very young & gullible kids. That's why you have semi-educated idiots coming out of places like Gymnasia Hertzelia..... Total trash, dear Esther. Try and understand: there IS a real world and you do live in it, get used to it!

Absolutely ridiculous , how you've taken what is going on, to turn it into a feminist issue! Really? You had to go down this road ? Without any knowledge of what is going on ? You should be given no form of acknowledgement

Is it men, the army or life you hate so much?

She paints the women as literal imbeciles who don't have a mind of their own. I insist it's sometime a disgrace how can YNET publishes such type of rubish articles. When is not extreme leftist incitements articles then come trash like this. I understand we have to read from all the political spectrup. But also in the right there is rubbish.

This is one of the many newspapers i read daily, it usually has idiotic articles, but this has to be in the top 3. I never comment, but this one was worth it. The woman that wrote this is a moron. Right, left, religious, secular, feminist, whatever...doesnt matter...the article is simply stupid.

If you send me a Bar Raphaeli patchouli I promise to make Aliyah and enlist!!! Most ridiculous YNET article ever!!!!!

They present op-eds that range from right to left, to the sublime and the ridiculous. Most of it belongs on the fringes, but it gives a jolt from time to time, and also allows us to see from different perspectives. Free press at its best (remember the keyword here, op-ed)!

Pathetic it sees print unless you want to point out the quality of teachers in some of the insitutions

raise emasculated mama's boys and are among the leading reasons that the Jewish people were stateless vagabonds for two thousand years.