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IDF Pushes Women Into Tanks Amid Rabbi Opposition

6/25/2026

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Summary

Story summary

IDF called women’s inclusion in tank crews a priority in talks with religious Zionist leaders.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met hesder yeshiva rabbis on June 23 about the pilot for women in tank units.
Rabbis from one-third of the yeshivas threatened to bar students unless women serve in separate companies.
250 female reserve officers, six brigadier generals, wrote to Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz demanding military reject rabbinic pressure.

History

Historical Context

In 1995 Israel’s Supreme Court, led by Justice Aharon Barak, ruled the IDF could not exclude women, after the Women’s Corps noted about 1,200 female soldiers serving on the front. The decision spurred mixed-gender units such as the Caracal Battalion (2000) and all-female tank crews deployed in 2022. Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir’s talks with hesder yeshiva rabbis echo that 1995 clash over women’s combat roles.

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Story summary

IDF called women’s inclusion in tank crews a priority in talks with religious Zionist leaders.
Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met hesder yeshiva rabbis on June 23 about the pilot for women in tank units.
Rabbis from one-third of the yeshivas threatened to bar students unless women serve in separate companies.
250 female reserve officers, six brigadier generals, wrote to Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz demanding military reject rabbinic pressure.

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