in the world longer than there have been humans.Do we give them the chance to hurt us ? Grow up.

In Israel, there is always hatred for the "other". Ashkenazi vs. Sephardi, left vs right, etc. "It's the Russian's fault". "The settlers are the reason". On and on. The new hip is Haredi bashing. This is more about demeaning and degrading the Haredim than it is about manpower for the army. The main reason I hear from Haredim against the army is not the burden, not laziness, but the lifestyle and the secular influence on their culture. If the army really wanted them, they would make the transition as easy as possible, not as difficult as possible. These people have their way of life, we should not, nor have we the right to change it. There should be Haredi-only units so they can serve the country without offending them or changing their way of life. Let's make up our minds. Do we really want the Haredim in the army, or is this just a legal way to abuse those who we hate? No reason there has to be a female officer to deal with these men. This is not about women's rights. Secular women WISH they were treated as well in their homes as are most religious women. Please don't waste our time with stories about the minute amount of abuse that makes front-page headlines in the secular press simply because it is so rare. Women are revered in Judaism. Whatever you think of their lifestyle, it is their lifestyle. Live your life, and let them live theirs. People, and the army, are only stoking the fire. Let them serve, but let them do it with dignity and respect for their way of life. There are plenty of religious men in the army that can accept their applications and administer the tests. Making them deal with a woman is just silly and unproductive. Obviously the women in these posts don't like it either, so why the hell are we doing it this way? It seems only to demean and degrade. Shame on all of us. It did not have to be this way.

Um, no. Hareidi women may be treated well at home, but I think most women (including myself) would like a husband WITH A JOB. Also, to have a job of their own. And maybe to not be a housewife from mid-twenties until death. And you can say that, but the Hareidi community is notorious for not reporting domestic abuse. I don't care what they do with their lives, as long as they stop taking my money!