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IDF chief rabbi raps articles on gay officers

August 10, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces criticized an army magazine for a series on gay military officers.

The articles were published in the Bamahane weekly magazine in June in honor of Gay Pride Month.

Brig.-Gen. Rabbi Avihai Ronski, in a letter Sunday to the army's personnel department and education corps, particularly objected to an interview with a gay and religious Jewish officer, Ha'aretz reported.

The magazine, in a reply to Ronski, said the magazine covers all aspects of the lives of IDF soldiers, including those who are homosexual, according to reports.

The IDF spokesperson's office said in response, "The IDF assigns soldiers to posts based on military needs and the soldiers' personal abilities, not based on their sexual orientation or their gender. Any statement to the contrary represents personal opinion and not official IDF policy."

Ronski's complaint comes a week after two young Israelis were killed in an attack on a Tel Aviv community and support center for homosexual teens.
 

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