Rav Aviner in Dramatic Halachic Ruling for Religious IDF Soldiers: "Violates Halacha"
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner has clarified that if the IDF integrates female combatants into tanks, the religious public will avoid enlisting in the corps. According to him, the joint stay in a confined space is immodest and also harms the operational level of the units.
In an interview with Orna Ishar on the "Right Angle" program from the 'Mida' website, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, president of the "Ataret Yerushalayim" yeshiva, addressed the issue of integrating women in the IDF and in tanks in particular.
The rabbi presented a resolute position that women's service in the army is a fundamental mistake, but emphasized that their integration into tanks constitutes a red line for the religious-Zionist public.
Rabbi Aviner declared that if the army continues with the plan to integrate women in tanks, he will instruct his students not to enlist in the armor corps. "The army is not a place for girls," the rabbi stated. According to him, the prolonged stay of boys and girls together inside a tank for hours on end is an immodest situation that contradicts "proper integration." He added that "if that's the case – religious boys will not go to into armored units," but to other combat units.
During the conversation, the issue of the health price paid by female combatants arose. The rabbi noted that heavy physical work is not suited for women and may cause severe physical injuries. The interviewer, Orna Ishar, shared from her personal experience as a former officer, and testified that she carried heavy loads whose damages she feels medically only years later.
Beyond the medical aspect, the rabbi argued that the integration harms the IDF's operational capability. "This lowers the unit's level," said the rabbi, adding that many officers complain that due to physical differences, the unit's strength level is impaired in roles requiring great physical strength.
The rabbi also addressed the issue of Haredi enlistment and the claim that the army causes spiritual "corruption." He rejected this claim entirely: "Whoever gets corrupted in the army, would get corrupted even if not in the army." He called on Haredi youth who fear enlisting to units like "Chashmonaim," (Hasmonean Brigade) where the atmosphere is adapted to their lifestyle, and emphasized that service is a religious and national obligation.
The interview concludes with the rabbi's call to maintain the army as a body whose role is to fight and win, without introducing ideological disputes or social experiments that harm the operational goal and the feelings of religious soldiers.