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IDF removes clip of Passover song slammed as 'medley of contempt' for women in military

The Israel Defense Forces removed a music video for an original Passover song included in the military rabbinate's holiday text after critics said it portrayed women as confined to domestic roles and ignored their service in uniform. The song, written from the perspective of a male reservist, contrasted his combat duties with his wife's household tasks through lines such as 'I load a cannon, you load groceries' and 'I give out orders, you give out hugs.' The military said the piece reflected a personal experience and was published without following proper guidelines.

Secular and feminist activists condemned the video and its inclusion in the holiday publication, calling it dismissive of women and harmful to female soldiers. A lawmaker from the opposition described the lyrics as expressing contempt and erasure of women and gay communities, while a women's protest leader welcomed the video's removal and urged the army to clarify that it does not endorse such values.

The controversy comes amid broader tensions over gender roles in Israel's security establishment. Women now make up more than one fifth of combat forces, even as the military has expanded gender-segregated tracks for ultra-Orthodox men and faced campaigns opposing female service. Days earlier, the spouse of the head of the Israel Security Agency drew criticism for addressing a letter only to 'wives of security personnel,' prompting an internal rebuke from the agency's gender equality commissioner.

Original article source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-removes-clip-of-passover-song-slammed-as-medley-of-contempt-for-women-in-military/
Source Id: 9172367443

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