<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Any thoughts?<div><br></div><div><div style="text-align: justify; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; "><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Question: </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 12pt;">On
September 5, 2011, an IDF entertainment troupe performed at an official
military event focusing on Operation Cast Lead at Bahad Ehad, the
officers' training base in the Negev. When a female soldier began to
sing solo, nine observant Israeli officer cadets got up and left; they
said that it was forbidden for them to listen to women singing. Their
Regiment Commander Uzi Kliegler ran after them and ordered them to
return to the ceremony. "Anyone refusing [this] order will be dismissed
from the course." In the end, four cadets refused to return to the hall
and were dismissed from the officers' training course while five were
allowed to continue the course after convincing the committee that the
move had not been preplanned. It should be noted that a considerable
number of the officers' course cadets are observant and most of them did
not walk out. </span></div><p style="text-align: justify; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" dir="LTR"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><div style="text-align: justify; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; "><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 12pt;">Subsequently,
various Orthodox rabbis were quoted in the media as being for or
against their action. The Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel Yonah Metzger
issued a formal responsum on September 25<sup>th</sup> justifying their
actions and urging the army to arrange that only men should sing at
military events where many observant men are present. Is it really
forbidden for Jewish men to listen to women singing? Was there any
halakhic justification for the soldiers to walk out?</span></div></div></body></html>