The IDF responded Wednesday evening for the first time to a letter from the heads of several hesder yeshivas who announced they would not allow their students to enlist in the armored corps because of a pilot program examining the integration of women into the corps.
"None of the options being considered as part of the pilot include a scenario in which men and women will serve together within the same framework," the military said.
At this stage, however, it remains unclear how the pilot program will move forward, five months before the deadline set by the High Court of Justice.
"As of now, the pilot has not yet reached the chief of staff's desk, and the issue will be discussed in the near future," the IDF said in a statement. "Senior IDF officials have been in continuous contact in recent months with the heads of the hesder yeshivas and their representatives, as well as with other figures in the religious Zionist community, regarding this matter. The IDF values and appreciates the contribution of all servicemen and servicewomen, including hesder yeshiva students, to the security effort across all arenas."
The military noted that "after approximately two and a half years of an intense, multi-front and unprecedented war, during which the IDF's operational missions have expanded and the burden on the reserve forces has increased significantly, the IDF needs every male and female combat soldier."
"As the people's army, the IDF places the highest importance on integrating all sectors of society while making a significant effort to preserve their way of life and meet their needs, without benefiting one population at the expense of another," the statement said. "The High Court of Justice did not instruct the IDF to recruit women into the armored corps. Rather, it instructed the military to conduct the planned pilot program on the issue."
The IDF added: "The military is working to integrate women into combat positions wherever possible. A pilot program, by definition, is an initial trial intended to assess future implementation. The pilot will be conducted in accordance with the Joint Service Ordinance, while ensuring compliance with all required operational and professional standards and in line with operational needs."
The military's response came five months before the pilot program examining the integration of women into the armored corps is scheduled to begin. It remains unclear how the initiative will proceed in accordance with the High Court ruling after being postponed several times.
In September 2023, the military was instructed to launch the pilot, which was initially scheduled to begin in November 2024. Operational considerations led to the program being postponed to the November 2025 draft cycle, and it was later delayed again until November 2026 after the High Court ruled that the IDF must open the trial to women by that date.
'They don't have answers. Everything is still up in the air'
Over the weekend, female recruits hoping to join the highly sought-after track told Ynet that they had received no clear answers and had not been invited to screening and selection assessments.
One of them, Bar Eden Sankar, 19, from Beersheba, who is scheduled to enlist in July as a border infantry combat soldier, said she had spent the past month unsuccessfully trying to obtain answers from the IDF's recruitment administration. "I tried to understand what was happening, but they didn't have answers," Sankar said. "Everything is still very much up in the air and unclear."
She stressed, however, that her goal remains unchanged. "This is my objective, and that's what I'm aiming for," she said.
Following those reports, 12 heads of hesder yeshivas announced that they would stop directing their students to the armored corps in the next enlistment cycle.
"The IDF is the army of the people of Israel, and the sanctity of the camp is the basis of the IDF’s spirit and of success in defeating the enemy,” they wrote in a letter to the IDF. “Putting female soldiers in tanks together with male soldiers causes spiritual and practical harm to combat capability.”
The rabbis' letter was signed by Rabbi Elyakim Levanon and Rabbi Shahar Imber, heads of the Elon Moreh Yeshiva; Rabbi Haggai Londin and Rabbi Tal Shaulian, heads of the Holon Yeshiva; Rabbi Yehoshua Van Dijk, head of the Itamar Yeshiva; Rabbi David Fendel, head of the Sderot Yeshiva; Rabbi Baruch Wieder, head of Yeshivat HaKotel; Rabbi Yossi Rodriguez, head of the Ayelet HaShachar hesder yeshiva in Eilat; Rabbi Noam Waldman, head of the Nir Yeshiva in Kiryat Arba; Rabbi Eliyahu Rahamim Zini, head of the Or Veyeshua Yeshiva in Haifa; and Rabbi Yaakov Yadid, head of the Karmiel Yeshiva. The document said three additional heads of hesder yeshivas joined the statement but asked not to be named.