A committee in formation will examine the beards of personnel in the entire battalion, and will determine who has the right to grow one. All others will have to shave daily. If a soldier claims to not be shaving for religious reasons, he will have to demonstrate a religious lifestyle. One claiming health reasons will have to explain to the army doctor why shaving is problematic for him.
Woman Fined For Denying Her Son A Bris Milah
In a highly publicized case, a woman in the process of getting a divorce from her husband but who has custody of their son is being fined by a rabbinical court in Netanya for refusing to have a bris milah performed on the son.
The woman’s appeal of the fine was rejected by the rabbinical court of Yerushalayim. She is reportedly planning to take her case to the Israeli Supreme Court.
The woman’s lawyer claimed that the rabbinical court did not have the authority to order the woman to circumcise her son, now a year old. The woman says that her exposure to much material regarding circumcision has led her to decide against circumcising her son. She argues that a court should not have the right to force her to, as she sees it, mutilate her son.
The court stressed that this case has the potential to set a dangerous precedent. Currently there is a strong anti-bris milah sentiment around the world, specifically in several European countries including France, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.