‘Bearded Men’ rebellion ‘launches assault on IDF

TEL AVIV – A campaign determined to extend the right to wear a beard among soldiers it shakes up the Israeli army, an institution traditionally respected but now drawn by the laity and the religious, as well as by the youth and the military hierarchy.

The “Right to Beard for All” campaign, launched by some soldiers, includes a legal battle and a fundraising campaign to promote inclusive change among uniformed soldiers across the country.

In January, 17 soldiers appealed to the Supreme Court, the country’s highest court, to force the military to allow any serviceman to have the right to beard, not shave, and not just Jews religious. According to Bar Pinto and Gilad Levi, both 29, spokesman for the thick-bearded movement, chief of staff Aviv Kochavi has an anti-beard policy.

“There is an obvious discrimination between religious and secular”, say the spokespersons, echoing the recruits who do not have the right to speak. “According to the regulations, soldiers have the obligation to shave their faces”, indicates the army, which claims to guarantee “military discipline in all its aspects”. However, it grants exemptions for medical, religious or personal reasons when a soldier considers that his beard is constitutive of his identity.

“But thousands of testimonies prove that it is extremely difficult for a soldier to be exempted for personal reasons”said Bar Pinto. “There is an obvious discrimination between religious and laity, since a religious who asks for a dispensation obtains it almost automatically”, he adds. “It’s not legal,” says Gilad Levi, denouncing a violation of individual freedoms. Pinto and Levi run the Barbudos de Israel Facebook group, which has 3,000 members.

It all started a year ago when they joined the call launched by the mother of a soldier, Yochi Baruch, for the end of the obligation to shave, unnecessary according to her, which affects self-esteem. and the confidence of young recruits.

Communication experts, Pinto and Levi defend the cause on social networks with humorous videos but also T-shirts and stickers on which the Army logo appears with a beard. They have also launched a fundraiser to finance the legal battle which has so far raised 120,000 shekels ($ 36,000). Some “1,600 soldiers contributed” to the collection, says Levi, for whom the use of beards is “very common in Israel” and is also “closely linked to Jewish identity.”.

“We want the military to do what really matters, to invest its efforts, resources and time in the defense of the country,” not in the beards of the soldiers, says Pinto, who tells the story. Jewish dotted with bearded warriors like Samson., A biblical character known for her long hair.

It is also “counterproductive” for the military, say the two men, who argue that the country registers a lack of love between young people and the Armed Forces, a sacred institution in Israel, where military service ( three years for men and two for women women) is compulsory. However, more and more young people are fleeing military service due to mental disorders.

For their part, Orthodox Jews are exempt from military service, which generates recurring controversies. Less than 50% of young people do their military service, recently admitted Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz. In this context, “Why complicate the lives of these young people who try to come and serve their country and give the best years of their life?” Asks Bar Pinto.

Agencia AFP

THE NATION

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