Poster against the drafting of girls into the IDF – Bnei Brak, 1950s.

Poster against the drafting of girls into the IDF – Bnei Brak, 1950s.
Poster in red and black letters on thick paper. From the Va’ada HaMe’ayetzet, calling on girls who received draft notices to exercise their right to be released from military service by declaring that they keep kosher and don’t drive on shabbat. In 1949 Israel became the first country in the world to begin a mandatory draft of women. The Defense Service Law ruled that women would serve a single year of service, including religious women, and caused a difficult debate to open between the State and the Hareidi community, which saw this as a threat to its values and way of life. After a psak was reached that the draft was a halachic case of “not to be done under any circumstances” (Yehareg v’bal Ya’avor), the State backed down. The law therefore set that women could receive exemptions by declaring that their way of life prevented them. | Signs of folding, stains. Tear without missing text in the upper margin. 35x25cm, ok to good condition.