Female IDF officer told she can’t read memorial prayer in military ceremony

A female IDF officer is reportedly told by the military rabbinate she cannot read a prayer for fallen soldiers at her unit’s commemoration ceremony on Memorial Day, which begins tonight.

According to reports in Hebrew-language media, the officer, who serves in a unit in Central Command, was given the part by the organizers of the ceremony. Later, she was informed by the NCO arranging the ceremony that the rabbinate forbade a woman reading the “Yizkor,” or “Remember,” prayer.

A male officer was assigned to read the prayer in the ceremony, which took place Tuesday morning.

The IDF spokesperson’s unit says the decision to replace the female officer “was caused by a mistake. There is no order in the IDF that forbids a woman to read ‘Yizkor’ in a military ceremony. We must emphasize that female officers and enlisted troops took part in this morning’s ceremony. This will be clarified and emphasized” to the unit in question.