Ed. Note: We received a flood of letters in response to Fayga Marks’ article about her experience as a Chareidi woman in the IDF. Most were positive, but some readers felt that the article presented only one side of a complex story. We plan to address their concerns by publishing an alternative point of view in an upcoming issue.
Though some might argue the point, I imagine that Fayga Marks made a kiddush Hashem in many ways (“The Courage to Serve: A Chareidi Woman in the IDF” [spring 2013]). However, a red flag was raised at the end of her article where she writes, “Since I was discharged over a year ago, I haven’t gotten used to being back in Chareidi society. I never truly fit in here.” I certainly hope that she is able to meld back into a Torah-true lifestyle. Otherwise, the experiment will have been a failure.
Whereas for most bnos Yisrael such a decision would be considered foolhardy, Ms. Marks obviously has special abilities uniquely qualifying her for the path she took. Whether such boldness should be presented to readers of Jewish Action as an ideal to be emulated is certainly debatable.
AARON SUBAR
Monsey, New York