The IDF and its telling battle against beards

I have a beard. Not a long one, not one to be particularly proud of, but a beard nonetheless. Why do I grow a beard? Because I’m too lazy to shave, because my wife likes beards, because I’m used to it by now and it is a part of who I am. Religious reasons? Not really. But it is possible that growing up in a religious family in which beards were common, and in an environment in which beards were not a rarity, contributed to my decision – it was more a developing habit than a real decision – to also have a beard.

Many soldiers in the IDF have beards too. And in recent days this has become an issue of much controversy. I would regularly not bother you with such a negligible story, but the story of beards in the IDF is interesting because it contains many of the features that make Israel what it is.

The details: The IDF – being a military – got tired of so many soldiers growing beards, presumably for religious reasons. As a rule, beards are forbidden in the military, but there are exceptions – religious or personal reasons. When I was serving in the military, the number of soldiers with beards was relatively small and the problem not really a problem. But now the number is apparently higher, and it is higher for two reasons. One – more religious soldiers with a stronger tendency to see a beard as part of their religious outfit serve in the military – they are especially visible in combat units. Two – Israeli soldiers, being Israelis, have identified a loophole and are using it to their benefit. That is, soldiers who rightly understand that life with a beard, and not having to shave daily, will be easier for them, especially in the field, declare themselves to be bearded men for religious reasons and grow hair.

The IDF has now decided to put things back in order. New regulations will only grant permission for a beard to soldiers who can prove that they are actively religious and that the beard is truly part of their religious life. They will need to produce the signed approval of a high-ranking officer to get the permission to grow a beard. The IDF spokesman, explaining the decision on Monday morning, was unapologetic about the new rules. A military should be a military, he said, and soldiers should have the appearance of soldiers – that is to say, without a beard, except for those who really have no other way. The spokesman told his radio interviewer about a joint US-Israel military exercise in which no American had a beard and most Israelis did have one. I’m not sure why a beard is a problem for a soldier, and I am not qualified to judge whether a large number of beards in the military is detrimental to the performance of the military, but apparently that is how the IDF sees it. So new rules are about to be enforced.

Why now? There is no real answer – it could have been a year ago or a year from now. That is, unless you are a paranoid and believe that someone in the IDF decided to tame religious influence on the IDF, as some rabbis certainly do. One of them – a well know rabbi of the Haredi-Zionist faction – compared what the IDF is trying to do to what Nazi Germany did back in the thirties. That is, removing the beards from Jews’ faces. His comments were not endorsed by anyone, but many religious leaders seem to be displeased and suspicious. They see a campaign that the chief of the IDF is leading against the growing presence of a religious effect on the military. Step one, a few weeks ago, was to strip the IDF's Military Rabbinate of the Jewish Identity Programming – a move that angered rabbis. Step two is cutting beards.

How the new rules will impact the number of beards in the IDF is not clear. Certainly, some soldiers who were just lazy will not take a chance and accept the new rules. Others will fight for their right to have a beard. The military – being a body that is not well known for its flexibility – will not always understand which soldier is serious about his beard and which is playing games. So it will not be surprising if there will be a few cases – well publicized – of soldiers refusing an order to shave and being punished for it. Political intervention is to be expected. In fact, it has already begun. A process of accommodation will put the matter to rest soon. The IDF is not going to make seriously religious soldiers shave their beards.

There is a reason to suspect that the army has unwisely climbed a tree it could have avoided. Religious soldiers and officers are an important part of the IDF, and such new rulings should take into account the sensitivity of the matter, especially now (because of the IDF rabbinate issue) and better prepare for the all-too-predictable hysterical response to it. They should also take into account Israeli culture and its instinctive resistance to soldierly appearance. Yes, many soldiers are growing beards because they just prefer not to shave when it is early morning and the water is cold. But who’s to decide that being religious– and hence having the right to grow a beard – is superior to just being lazy?