Source: heraldsun.com.au
THE Israeli Army is using Facebook to catch women who lie about their religious background to avoid serving in the Army.
Military service is compulsory for Israelis over the age of 18, but Jewish women who sign a declaration saying they maintain a religious lifestyle, eat only kosher food and do not travel on Jewish Sabbath are exempt.
Investigations already identified 1000 draft-dodgers via the social networking site, the Jerusalem Post reported.
One woman who claimed to be observant posted a photo of herself on Facebook eating at a non-kosher restaurant, while several others accepted invitations investigators send out to them for parties on Friday night – during Sabbath.
There were also reports of women who claimed to be religious posting photos of themselves in immodest clothing.
The Facebook draft-dodgers were revealed by a senior army official who addressed a parliamentary committee Monday.
Brigadier-General Amir Rogovsky said 35 per cent of Jewish women signed a declaration to say that they were religiously observant in order to avoid joining the Army. The Army estimates that thousands of those women are, in fact, secular.
The military had six investigation offices that track down women who lie about their religious background, he said.