Chief Rabbi of Israel Kalman Meir Ber called on Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Wednesday to reconsider the punishment of religious soldiers from the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion who refused to board a Namer armored personnel carrier with a female paramedic during an operational mission in the Gaza Strip.
In a letter addressed to Katz and Zamir, Ber said the issue had become a matter of broad public importance and warned that the military’s handling of the case could have consequences beyond the soldiers directly involved.
The soldiers had initially said that boarding the APC conflicted with Jewish law and with understandings concerning the service conditions of religious troops.
At least seven soldiers were subsequently sent to military prison following disciplinary proceedings, according to reports published earlier this week.
Ber argued in his letter that military decision-makers should consider not only formal regulations but also the broader ramifications of disciplinary decisions involving religious soldiers.
He wrote that Jewish tradition had established principles for the conduct of a Jewish army, citing the biblical phrase, “Your camp shall be holy.”
The chief rabbi questioned whether sufficient weight was being given to the rights of observant soldiers whose religious commitments restrict their participation in certain mixed-gender settings.
Bar: Religious soldiers should be granted a voice regarding mixed-gender service
Ber compared the matter to longstanding IDF accommodations for religious observance, including kashrut and Shabbat, arguing that religious soldiers should similarly be given a meaningful voice regarding mixed-gender service.
He called on Katz and Zamir to change the relevant directives so that they would be compatible with the religious lifestyle of observant soldiers.
Ber also expressed concern about the possible effect of the disciplinary action on graduates of hesder yeshivas and other observant Israelis who volunteer for demanding military service.
He described those soldiers as people who willingly risk their lives for the defense of Israel, and argued that their religious convictions should not become an obstacle to their service.
Bar requests that soldiers not be forced to choose between service, religion
The chief rabbi asked the military leadership to reconsider the disciplinary decision and warned against creating a situation in which soldiers felt they had to choose between military service and adherence to their religious beliefs.
Ber concluded his letter by saying he was writing “with a painful heart and out of responsibility for the people of Israel and the unity of the nation,” and asked Katz and Zamir to reconsider the decision.
“The holiness of the people of Israel and its purity are part of the secret of our existence throughout the generations and of our uniqueness, in our holiness,” he wrote.