The leaders of 12 yeshivas have signed a letter saying that they will no longer send their seminary students to join tank units because of an army plan to integrate women into the Armored Corps.

The yeshivas are all part of the hesder program, which allows Orthodox soldiers to combine military service with periods spent studying in yeshiva.

Separately, the Knesset  passed in its preliminary reading on Wednesday a bill that seeks to enshrine Torah study in Basic Law, as part of a proposal pushed by ultra-Orthodox parties that seeks to encourage draft evasion and change the status of Yeshiva students who do not serve, enabling them to continue receiving state benefits.

KAN's Mark Weiss spoke about these issues with Rabbi David Stav, founder and head of the Tsohar movement, an organization which aims to make Jewish life accessible to secular Israelis.

(Photo:Flash90)