Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman demands that Rabbi Yigal Levinstein step down from his position as co-head of a prominent pre-army religious preparatory program over his controversial remarks on female soldiers. In a letter, the defense minister threatens to withdraw recognition of the institution should Levinstein refuse to resign.
Last Tuesday, Channel 2 News broadcast remarks made by Levinstein, who co-heads a prominent pre-army religious preparatory program, in which he said that Jewish women who enlist in the military “are not Jewish on the way out.”
Levinstein also said the military drove them “crazy,” and added that no one would want to marry a female soldier.
The controversial rabbi later apologized for his aggressive tone, but refused to back down from the content. He drew criticism from across the political spectrum, with few exceptions.
— Judah Ari Gross contributed.
Rabbi Yigal Levinstein speaking at the ‘Zion and Jerusalem’ convention in July 2016. (Screen capture: YouTube)
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