Two prominent rabbis on Wednesday expressed their opposition to soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces leaving events that feature female performers, following a controversial incident earlier this month during which dozens of religious cadets walked out of an army event when a female soldier began to sing on stage. The incident took place during an event that focused on Operation Cast Lead in 2008, which was attended by hundreds of cadets, many of whom were associated with the Religious Zionism movement. Two female soldiers were set to sing during the event, and when one began a solo, dozens of religious soldiers got up and left the auditorium. Four of the cadets who walked out of the event were dismissed from their officer's course, while others were allowed to continue the course after they convinced an investigative committee that the act was not premeditated. After the incident, Israel's chief rabbis met with Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz to discuss the issue and how religious soldiers would be able to avoid hearing female singing without disobeying orders by their commanders. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, a prominent Religious Zionist movement leader told the Makor Rishon newspaper that a religious soldier can remain at an event featuring female singing, but the IDF should not promote events at which females sing on stage. "We need to request that the IDF cancel events in which females sing. We should request that out of a love for our solders, because it upsets some of them," said Rabbi Aviner. Rabbi Aviner said that a religious soldier should ask his commanding officer for permission to avoid hearing female singing, but if his commander refuses and they reach a stalemate, the soldier should remain at the event. He said this would be in accordance with the halachic (Jewish religious) principle of a person deriving pleasure from doing something against his will. Rabbi Yuval Sherlo, head of Hesder Yeshiva of Petach Tikva, published an article in which he wrote, "On a personal level, soldiers can be more stringent with themselves, but not with issues that may harm the community, are contrary to it, and may damage the fabric of the IDF." Former head of the IDF's Personnel Directorate, Maj. Gen. (res.) Elazar Stern, a religious Zionist who was involved in several confrontations with religious soldiers during his term, reacted strongly to the issue in an interview by Makor Rishon's Motzash magazine. "The rabbis should instruct soldiers that when it comes to female singing, one should not violate his commander's orders," Stern said. "We were raised in yeshivas and I don't recall anyone discussing such issues. The abridged version of the Shulchan Aruch [Jewish religious code] begins with 'Overcome ...', and if religious soldiers need to overcome [their problem with female singing], they should do so. Whoever does not want to hear females sing, should put something in his ears," Stern said.
