Another familiar story. Religious men walk out of official ceremony in protest because women ___. Their bosses dismiss them. Clerics say it’s an outrage.
The details barely matter; they’re interchangeable. In this case the men were military cadets in Israel; their bosses are their superior officers; the women were singing; the clerics are rabbis.
At some point during the evening, two female soldiers got up to sing. When one
of them began singing solo, dozens of religious soldiers got up and turned to
leave the auditorium.
Pointedly sending the message that the female soldier was a harlot. That should be good for morale.
H/t Ezra Resnick.
Alethea H. Claw says
Ophelia, you’ve put the wrong link in the first line here – to the oregon faith
healingmurder in your previous article.Yakamoz says
Why would they even consider reducing the punishment for the two soldiers who had asked prior to the event not to have to suffer the horrific indignity of a female soloist? That should make it worse – not only did they defy orders, they did so with premeditation. They were told before the event AND when they tried to leave that their behavior was unacceptable!
Yakamoz says
The soldiers told Colonel Niv that “if this incident has anything to do with our abilities as officers, it is that being strict about the rules of Halacha proves that we will be better officers. You could have been more sensitive toward us, as this is a well-known problem, and all we asked was that female soldiers wouldn’t sing alone.”
So the mark of a good officer is how petulant they become to the insensitivity of their commanding officers to their bizarre, unreasonable demands?! Clearly, their military academy failed them. “Listen to your commanding officer” ought to be lesson #1. It’s a military, not a daycare.
Ophelia Benson says
Oops! Thanks Alethea.
Yakamoz – snicker – yeah.
julian says
Why do bigots always demand we be sensitive to their beliefs? It’s like they’re all reading the same rule book.
btw, Sir, what you are displaying aren’t the qualities of a good officer. A good officer is flexible, always willing to adapt to new circumstances and to set aside his personal beliefs when they get in the way of the mission or unit cohesion. What you are showcasing is an incredibly dogmatic mind, an unwillingness to work with your piers and a very belligerent attitude towards your superiors.