In our November/December, Moment columnist Eetta Prince-Gibson explains the trouble with drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the Israeli army. “But will mass enlistment of the Haredim help us create a fair, moral and just society?” she writes. “On the contrary: If the IDF chooses to conscript large numbers of Haredi men who do not accept the rules of the democratic game, who oppose equality for women and insist on increasingly strict gender segregation, it will be trying to solve one problem by creating other, more serious ones.”
“Over the past decade, the IDF has been moving in two contradictory directions,” she goes on. “On the one hand, women are being integrated into combat and higher-ranking positions, thanks to pressure from women’s groups and a growing commitment to greater equality. On the other hand, the IDF overall is experiencing increased religious extremism, especially on gender, from the small number of Haredim already enlisted.”
To read the full column, click here.
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