Against the backdrop of the Supreme Court's ruling on the conscription law, which stipulated that 3,000 ultra-Orthodox young men are expected to enlist in the IDF soon, the religious sector's young women don't need a court decision: This year, about 3,500 women have enlisted or are set to enlist – 10% of them, 350 women, will enter combat service, including about 20 graduates of religious women's seminaries. Sources familiar with the matter told Makor Rishon that the October 7 events led to a significant increase in the desire of women from the religious sector to enlist in the army in general and for combat service in particular.
Figures in the religious community, noting that nearly a third of young women enlisting for combat roles were joining the Border Police, approached the IDF and suggested opening a gender-segregated combat framework. The army agreed to the idea, and in recent weeks, plans for establishing a company have begun to take shape, with details gradually being finalized.
The gender-segregated company will be affiliated with the Combat Intelligence Collection Corps. Its staff will be composed entirely of women, and they will receive spiritual support and guidance. Rabbi Ohad Teharlev, head of Midreshet Lindenbaum, is advising and accompanying the company's establishment. It appears that a female halakhic authority will receive a reserve duty position to provide closer guidance to the combat soldiers, including two weekly lessons.
WOW! For the first time ever, women are joining Israel's elite Yahalom combat unit, taking on terror tunnels and demolitions! pic.twitter.com/kRlZyrPZFD
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) April 18, 2024
So far, about 30 pre-enlistment women have expressed interest in joining the company as early as the upcoming August recruitment cycle. The idea is to create a supportive framework that will neutralize the challenging halakhic and spiritual issues that arise in mixed-gender service.
Before enlistment, all women slated to join the new gender-segregated framework will attend a preparation day at the induction center, a kind of "religious assessment," involving the Meitav unit, the accompanying team, and the Military Rabbinate. Until then, one can join the company by contacting Meitav, and any young woman who identifies as religious is eligible to join.
