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Podcasts Take Two
Status of female soldiers in Israeli army threatened as religion reigns
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This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Nov 28, 2012
Listen • 5:12
Status of female soldiers in Israeli army threatened as religion reigns
In Israel, women have already served in combat positions in the Israeli Defence forces for 20 years. Women make up 33 percent of the military, and just last year they appointed Brig.
Female Israeli soldiers chat following an exercise of defence units in the Tel Nof army Base, center Israel, on November 14, 2012.
Female Israeli soldiers chat following an exercise of defence units in the Tel Nof army Base, center Israel, on November 14, 2012.
(
MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images
)

In Israel, women have already served in combat positions in the Israeli Defence forces for 20 years. Women make up 33 percent of the military, and just last year they appointed Brig.

In Israel, women have already served in combat positions in the Israeli Defence forces for 20 years. Women make up 33 percent of the military, and just last year they appointed Brig. Gen. Orna Barbivai as the first-ever female major general.

After two decades of side-by-side training and fighting, Israeli women are facing very different concerns than their American counterparts.

As soldiers in the IDF become more religious, and more orthodox, physical contact required by training has caused controversy within the corps, in some cases, preventing women from advancing up through the ranks. Plus, more women are coming under pressure from orthodox rabbis to choose national service in schools and hospitals over army service.

Joining the show is 

, executive director of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, who wrote about this for Slate.