Rabbis Demand IDF Establish All-Male Artillery Unit

Rabbis representing religious Zionist pre-military academies have called on the IDF to establish an Artillery Corp unit for male soldiers only. To learn more about these academics, known in Hebrew as mechinot, read: IDF Teaches Soldiers to Love Their Neighbor

Many religious Jewish men refuse to serve in a military unit with women. Some fear inappropriate contact that comes with living in close quarters, while others object to women doing “men’s jobs.”

Channel 12 News reported on Monday that IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi had rejected the rabbis’ request, and will not establish a male-only artillery unit.

Nearly all combat roles in the IDF are today open to female recruits. The Artillery Corps was one of the first combat branches to admit female fighters, and some estimates say that some 20% of the corps are today women. That means nearly every artillery unit likely has female soldiers.

To better understand the role of Israeli women in the IDF, see these previous reports from Israel Today: