Pioneering Women in the IDF

“Security will not exist if our nation’s women do not know how to fight.” -David Ben Gurion

The legacy of women in the IDF goes all the way back to Israel’s War of Independence, when Israel became the first country to make service mandatory for both men and women. Since the establishment of the IDF, women have been pioneers and broken gender stereotype barriers, leading Israeli women into a future full of possibilities.  

At the young age of 23, Alice Miller faced the Israeli Supreme Court to amend the law to allow women to enlist in the Pilot’s course. In a historic vote, the Israeli Supreme Court lifted the ban on female recruits.

Miller became a pioneer as women followed in her footsteps in the IAF. In 1998, Sheri Rahat became an F-16 combat navigator and the first female graduate in nearly five decades.

Three years later, Roni Zuckerman, the granddaughter of two leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, graduated as the first combat pilot.

Female soldiers were not only making an impact in the IAF, but all over the military.

Colonel (Res.) Dr. Anat Sabag made history as she became the first female Combat Medic in the IDF. Starting her military career in the Combat Engineering Corps as the Battalion’s Combat Medic, she moved on to eventually become the Chief Combat Medic in the central command. 

A memorable moment from her service was during Operation Protective Edge when she received injured soldiers from the field into the operating room. “I paged all the medical officers right away, together with additional officers in the reserves. When the battle ended, the medical teams were summoned outside to provide medical and mental care and to evacuate all the wounded people. It was my duty to ensure that they made it through the night.”

When Colonel (Res.) Sabag enlisted, she never thought that it would turn into a 20 year long military career and could not have dreamt of what she achieved during her time in the IDF. 

Nowadays, more than 90% of IDF positions are open to female soldiers. This is an amazing accomplishment of pioneerism and overcoming gender barriers. 

Happy International Women’s Day!