Playing “Farmville” on Shabbat isn’t a great idea if you’ve told the Israeli army you’re too frum to serve.

That’s one of the lessons about a thousand Israeli women have learned after the Israel Defense Forces used Facebook to check out claims of religious observance. By using the hugely popular social-networking site, the military managed to track down hundreds of women who lied about their spiritual proclivities, an army spokesperson told AFP.

Military service is compulsory for Israelis over the age of 18, with men serving three years and women two years. Women who sign a declaration saying they eat only kosher food and do not work on the Sabbath, are exempt, however. When a woman submits a statement declaring herself to be religious, the army has 60 days to challenge it.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

One woman was caught out after she posted a photograph in which she is seen eating in a non-kosher restaurant, while others were caught wearing revealing clothing, the spokesman said. Still others were caught when they accepetd online invitations to Friday night parties – “which were sent out as bait by firms of private investigators paid to sniff out the fakers,” the article reported. “If you see someone updating their account on Shabbat, it tells you she is using a computer, and probably talking on the phone and watching TV, which is forbidden,” the spokesman, Captain Arye Shalicar, said.

At the same time, UK Jewish news site TheJC.com reported that the IDF is running a campaign against indiscreet Facebook posts. “Top brass have written to all commanders asking them to urge subordinates to be careful what they post on Facebook and other social networking sites,” the site says. “It urges against posting photos taken on bases or pictures of soldiers which give away information about their role in the army, such as by revealing unit insignia, or where they live.”

On military bases, the article explains, there are posters with a mock Facebook page and images of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hizbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah with Facebook “friend requests” and a catch line: “You think that everyone is your friend?”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount