The wife of Brigadier-General Efi Eitam Fein claimed, in the
media, that her husband is not being promoted to the rank of
full general, because he wears a yarmulke.
Fein is currently waiting for a decision of the Chief of
Staff regarding his promotion to the rank of full General,
and his inclusion in the general staff (mateh klalli)
of the armed forces.
Mrs. Fein said that in the entire history of the IDF, there
was never a religious general from the combat units, and that
the deferment of her husband's promotion has no connection to
his part in what is called the Givati Affair.
In the beginning of the Intifadah, when Efi Fein was the
commander of the Givati brigade, soldiers and officers
complained that he had ordered them to use physical force
against the Palestinians and that he himself had used such
force. Fein was found guilty in the trial over the Givati
Affair, and as a result his promotion was deferred.
After a number of years, the Chief of Staff at that time,
Ehud Barak and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin promoted him to
Brigadier-General. However, he is still unable to progress to
the rank of General.
For many years a disproportionate amount of the officers have
been kippa wearers. However they have not advanced to
the senior levels of command as would be expected. Several
senior army officials have expressed concern about the
presence of religious officers in general and in particular
about their presence at senior levels of command and
staff.
