Record number of religious women enlisting, military says

Hanan Greenwood

Some 308 religious women have joined the IDF through the army’s Jewish women’s seminary track since the beginning of the year, a 15% increase from previous year and double the number in 2014, IDF says • Nearly 20% of the recruits pursue officers’ training

Religious women are enlisting in record numbers through a designated track, says the IDF | Illustration: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

‎Record numbers of religious women have enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces this year through the army’s midrasha, or Jewish women’s seminary, track, according to IDF figures.

The IDF said 308 religious women have joined the IDF since the beginning of 2018, a 15% increase from the previous year and more than double the number in 2014.
Nearly 20% of the women who enter the military through the midrasha track pursue officers’ training, the IDF said.

“We aren’t surprised at the numbers. The girls’ preparation for military service and their option of enlisting through this designated track allows them to contribute in the most important places in the IDF,” said Rabbi Ohad Taharlev, head of Midreshet Lindenbaum for Women in Jerusalem.

“Every year in recent years we’ve talked about record numbers among religious girls going to the military, and everyone tries to analyze the revolution the [national religious] sector is undergoing. In the past year, the girls were at the forefront of the discourse in the media and the sector over enlistment of religious girls, and therefore we aren’t surprised about [the numbers], although we’re always just as thrilled every time.”

The increase in religious women joining the IDF is reflected in increased registration numbers for Midreshet Lindenbaum, the first women’s seminary to establish a track combining Torah study for women and military service.

In addition to Jerusalem, the midrasha also has branches in the central city of Lod and the northern city of Karmiel.

In recent years, some 95% of the students at Midreshet Lindenbaum have gone on to serve in the army.

“Preparing the girls for military service through true and meaningful Torah study, and allowing them to enlist through a track that allows them to preserve their lifestyle, enables them to do significant service and contribute in the best way possible to the IDF in its most important [units]. It’s not for nothing that many of the girls go on to become officers and even sign on for extra service time,” Taharlev said.