Rabbonim from the chareidi tzibur have been opposed to sheirut leumi for unmarried young women for many reasons including fears of compromised tznius and worse.
According to the “To the Heart” organization headed by Yehudit Sidikman during a session of the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of Women, 34% of the national service girls have been harassed or assaulted of which 78% felt that the system did not prepare them well enough for such situations. The committee session was called to address harassment of women in Sheirut Leumi. The session was held on Tuesday 27 Iyar, chaired by MK (Yesh Atid) Dr. Aliza Lavie.
Lavie was harsh in her response to the different sheirut leumi organizations for being ill prepared for the meeting. She also instructed the organizations to set up an ombudsman’s office to receive complaints from the thousands of girls in the system today, whom at present do not have a central address for their complaints and problems.
The statistics also showed a lack of system wide organization, citing the girls are not all prepared in the same way for their assignments. The stats showed the girls who were thoroughly briefed and prepared showed significantly less assaults and attacks, having been forewarned regarding such situations. Too many young women are simply sent into the field to make it on their own and too often fall prey to attackers.
According to clinical psychologist Dr. Vidar Cohen,who is affiliated with the Kolech organization, of 100 girls that have come to her for therapy 65% had been harassed during sheirut leumi or prior to then.
The Knesset committee has instructed the sheirut leumi organization to prepare a master plan in the coming month, which will serve as a standard for the various organizations in the national service network.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
This is not the reason given by Chareidi Rabbonim for not opposing Sherut Le’umi, though this is, of course a serious issue than needs to be addressed. The reason given originally was that the Rabbonim considered it wrong for a Jewish girl to be under the “Shlita” of anyone other than her father or husband. As one Gadol said, he’d be against the program even if all they wanted was for the girls to sit and say Tehilim, since it would be under the command of someone other than family.
You may or may not agree with this Shita, and it may be difficult to square with the current view that a Chareidi woman should be in the workplace supporting her husband’s learning, but at least the Shita should be presented honestly. Historical revisionism does you no favors.
an Israeli Yid
Instead of just lamenting the current situation, we should be part of the solution! How about rabbonim help make these programs safer, more tzniusdig and appropriate for frum ladies.
rationalfrummie, try to be rational. Rabbonim have no connection at all to Sherut Leumi.
Those stats are shocking, for non-frum as well as frum. The whole program should be halted until it can be completely overhauled. Would any other organization, e.g. school or workplace, tolerate such violence from clients? And that’s besides the issues of having no say over where they’re placed, etc.
anIsraeli #1: There is no contradiction whatsoever of her being under his shlita and her working to support her husband in kollel (if that what she does.) Her husband wants and agrees and asks her to work so he can remain steeped in Limud Torah. So she is still under his shlita.
MDshweks — I’m not sure your point. Are you saying, hey, rabbonim can’t have a say because they’re not involved? I think then that the suggestion is, let them get involved! I’m sure that the Sherut Leumi program would be thrilled if some rabbonim said, you know, we’d like to try making the program more appropriate for our young women. Let’s start working on making that happen.
Or maybe your point is that rabbonim have no interest in being involved and helping improve the system.
Bogen – the point is that at a job, she a woman is under the Shlita of her boss. And don’t tell me she can quit her job at any time, so she’s not controlled by her boss – a Bat Sherut is also able to leave her position at any time and go home – I know a number of girls who did just that because they didn’t like the work where they were placed.
an Israeli Yid
anIsraeli — the point is that her following her employers commands is done per her husbands shlita. Her husband wants and advises her to fulfill her employers requests. Thus her doing so is under her husbands shlita.
Just as a low-level employee is effectively under the owner’s command even if there’s a mid-level manager in-between giving him the moment to moment directions.
Bogen – And your point is? Doing Sherut Leumi is under her father’s Shlita. Her father wants and advises her to follow the instructions of whomever she’s under in Sherut Leumi. You’ve failed to distinguish the two situations, so based on your logic, there’s no reason for a Frum girl not to do Sherut Leumi in an appropriate setting.
an Israeli Yid