A number of IDF soldiers serving in the Homefront Command, were confined to their base after refusing to wear a yarmulka when appearing before children in a religious school, Haaretz reports.
The soldiers are part of a unit visiting with fifth graders, explaining to them how one responds to the sirens warning of a rocket attack. Tomer, one of the soldiers, was ordered to remain on base for a week by his superior, without an official hearing or judicial process against him, because he and a colleague refused to wear kippot when visiting a religious public school in Bnei Brak.
The school’s administration asked the soldiers to wear kippot in the school but Tomer refused, resulting in the school complaining. After the school principal made the request, Tomer is quoted responding the venue is not a shul and there was no reason to cover his head.
The report cites in some cases, female soldiers were asked to come in skirts and not slacks. One female soldier refused, and she too was confined to base.
Tomer, who has since completed his service, is quoted telling Haaretz that the majority of persons in the unit are not religious and their norm is to be without a kippa or skirt for the females, who wear pants.
When asked to comment, the IDF Spokesman’s Office stated they were not compelled to wear kippot or skirts in the cases mentioned, adding they were unaware of anyone being punished for refusing to.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
I still don’t know why look so much up to this people
very good
The question that comes to mind is how these very same soldiers, who refused to wear the requested apparel, feel regarding such things (as example) as religious soldiers refusing to listen to female singers.
It further occurs to me that the implication here is that they were not wearing helmets (nor any other head covering). So what would they say about a female soldiers going bear-headed to (as example) a religious Muslim school.