Rape and the Torah

[Opinion: Lest you think this article is too old be be relevant, Karim is still the IDF’s chief rabbi. Judging by the US Army, many women soldiers report harassment, assault and rape and much remains unreported. It would be phenomenal, considering the age range of IDF soldiers if this did not occur in Israel’s military.

My judgment: Karim is a misogynist liar. Is he refuting the Torah?!?]

High Court freezes IDF chief rabbi nomination over rape comments

Responding to petition by Meretz MKs, court demands Col. Eyal Karim clarify his stance before assuming the post

Marissa Newman: 21 November 2016

The Times of Israel: 21 Nov 2016

The current IDF Chief Rabbi, Eyal Karim, has been at the center of a long-running controversy regarding past comments about wartime rape, though he has repeatedly denied condoning the act in modern times.

While serving as a colonel, Karim responded to a question on the religious website Kipa about the Torah's perspective on rape during war.

The controversy centers on a theoretical religious ruling he wrote in 2002. Responding to a biblical question on a religious website, he discussed whether Jewish law permitted soldiers to rape non-Jewish enemy women during wartime.

He stated that to maintain soldier morale and fitness during conflict, the Torah permitted "satisfying the evil inclination by lying with attractive Gentile women against their will".

His comments parked fierce condemnation from Israeli politicians and women's rights organizations. Critics cited the remarks as well as past statements he made opposing women's service in the military.

The left-wing Meretz party filed a petition that led the High Court of Justice to temporarily freeze his appointment until he formally clarified his stances to the court.

There’s always someone eager to misuse or twist religious texts to accommodate their own ends.

In the quoted case Bronze Age morality is twisted to justify obscenity in the modern era.

There are many other examples, including latching onto a minority misuse or twisting of religious teachings to smear a whole religious community.

In this case, to smear an Army.