The High Court ruled that there’s no basic right for a soldier to have a beard and noted the IDF has both the need and the legal right to maintain military discipline, even through banning beards.
High Court Rules IDF Decision To Ban Beards Is Legal
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Hipsters and hasids beware.
The High Court of Justice upheld an IDF order today that prevents soldiers from having facial hair, the Times of Israel reported.
The court rejected a petition filed by several soldiers in August claiming the order was discriminatory and went against their religious beliefs.
The High Court ruled that there’s no basic right for a soldier to have a beard and noted the IDF has both the need and the legal right to maintain military discipline, even through banning beards.
The IDF’s mandatory no-beard order was to have gone into effect in September, but its implementation was frozen by judicial order as the case was waiting to be heard. But the no-beard order will now reportedly go into effect within several days.
Permission to grow beards can still be granted to individual soldiers, but only under exceptional circumstances. That permission would have to come in writing and requires the written approval of designated high ranking officers. It is not clear whether the order banning facial hair will apply to exclusively haredi IDF units.