Haaretz recently reported that alternative, pluralistic Jewish streams will only be allowed to speak to senior officers. Orthodox organizations will continue to have access to all levels of the army.
Of the nine groups approved to educate junior IDF officers, four are Orthodox or Orthodox-leaning ■ Only soldiers ranked platoon commander and higher will be allowed to hold meetings with pluralistic organizations
Most of the organizations the army has authorized to lecture and educate soldiers on “Jewish identity” are Orthodox, according to a list the Israel Defense Forces released last week. Some of these organizations’ declared goal is to turn secular soldiers into religious ones.
The educational activity authorized for junior officers, for example, will be provided by three or four Orthodox organizations and not a single pluralistic one. Sources in pluralistic organizations warned that this means further reducing soldiers’ ability to entertain and understand pluralistic positions.
“The IDF has decided to wipe out numerous soldiers’ secular background,” one source said.