IDF Spokesperson:  

The Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, held a meeting yesterday (Tuesday) with rabbis from the religious‑Zionist yeshiva world.  

Participating in the meeting were the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Major General Amir Yadai; Commander of the Ground Forces, Major General Nadav Lotan; Chief Military Advocate General, Major General Itay Ofir; Chief Military Rabbi, Brigadier General Rabbi Eyal Karim; and Head of the Manpower Directorate, Brigadier General Shay Tayeb.  

At the opening of the meeting, the Chief of Staff expressed deep appreciation for the ongoing activity of the yeshivot and pre‑military academies in educating and encouraging enlistment to meaningful service in general, and to combat service in particular. The Chief of Staff noted the decisive contribution and great sacrifice of yeshiva and academy students to the IDF over the years—and especially during the current war—as they stand, together with other sectors of the population, in the front lines of the people’s army.  

During the meeting, the IDF’s current needs were presented, with an emphasis on the required increase in manpower in light of the unprecedented operational challenges and the scope of missions across all combat arenas. The Chief of Staff clarified that the IDF is still short of thousands of combat soldiers and needs every male and female soldier to carry out missions and solidify the campaign’s achievements.  

The Chief of Staff emphasized that one of the cornerstones of integrating a wide range of populations into service is the implementation of the Joint Service Order—which enables service side by side, and not one at the expense of another—while maintaining the dignity of all who serve. He made clear his intention to continue strengthening the implementation of this order and other routine directives, noting that compliance naturally requires extra rigor during such a prolonged wartime period.  

He added that in expanding the integration of women into key and combat roles—which has immense operational importance and will continue to be advanced by the IDF—the establishment of frameworks and the opening of roles will be carried out in full alignment with the Joint Service Order, in routine, emergency, and wartime alike. These processes will be executed in accordance with operational needs and by meeting professional standards—without compromise.  

The rabbis praised the Chief of Staff for leading the IDF to important achievements during complex and difficult times and affirmed that they would continue to educate their students toward meaningful military service as needed. They also shared with the Chief of Staff the challenges faced by religiously observant soldiers during their service, stressing the need to ensure that every observant soldier can serve in the IDF in accordance with his beliefs and values, consistent with the principles of the Joint Service Order.  

In conclusion, the Chief of Staff stated that the State of Israel has one army—the people’s army—which must know how to contain all existing complexities and enable meaningful and contributing service for every part of the nation. The army’s readiness requires us to meet this challenge successfully.