Concert for troops nixed because singer is a woman

A scheduled concert for soldiers by Israeli singer Sarit Hadad has been cancelled by the commander of the Givati Brigade, apparently so as not to offend religious soldiers who feel it inappropriate for a woman to perform in front of men.

The decision was made by Col. Ofer Winter, an observant Orthodox Jew.

A spokesperson for Hadad says the singer would nevertheless be happy to perform. The concert will take place as planned, although Hadad will be replaced by Moshe Peretz, Ynet reports.

Winter had come under criticism recently, after composing a letter to his subordinate officers in which he called upon the divine to assist Israel in fighting a “blasphemous” foe in the Gaza Strip.

“History has chosen us to spearhead the fighting (against) the terrorist ‘Gazan’ enemy, which abuses, blasphemes and curses the God of Israel’s (defense) forces,” he wrote.

“We have planned and prepared for this moment and we take the mission upon ourselves out of commitment, complete humility, and because we are prepared to endanger ourselves and lay down our lives in order to protect our families, our people and our homeland,” he added.

Several days later, Winter said that divine miracles protected his soldiers during the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

He said that a predawn raid that was intended to make use of the dark as concealment was delayed, forcing the soldiers to move toward their objective as the sun was about to rise. The soldiers were in danger of being revealed in the light but, Winter recalled, a heavy fog descended to cover their movements until the objective was achieved.

“Suddenly a cloud protected us,” he said, making a reference to the clouds that the Bible says protected the Israelites as they wandered in the desert. “Clouds of glory.”

Only when the soldiers were in a secure position did the fog dissipate, he said.