In what can be described as an Israeli take on Canada’s “reasonable accommodation” debate, Israel’s military finds itself torn between two apparently irreconcilable processes: equality of opportunity for female soldiers, and religious accommodation of Orthodox male soldiers.

As a “citizens army” of compulsory conscripts from virtually all dimensions of Israeli society (18-year-old men serve three years, women two), the Israel Defence Forces provide a mirror into the values of the day and, in turn, influence public discourse on them. What happens there can’t be ignored because nearly every household is in some way connected to the IDF.

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