In February 1965, the third convention of the "Religious Youth Parliament" took place in Tel Aviv.

The parliament's organizers were members of the "Young Guard" (the party's political and social youth branch) of the National Religious Party (Mafdal). In an era without television or the internet, where leisure activities primarily consisted of movies at the cinema, theater plays, or dance clubs – they offered a thought-provoking pastime for high school students from the central region, boys and girls from religious-nationalist families in the big city. The organizers rented a hall, invited well-known lecturers, and encouraged participants to express opinions and hold discussions in a parliamentary style – with a chairperson and presidium members, speeches, motions to table, and interjections. At the end of the discussion, members were called upon to vote on a resolution to be adopted by a majority vote and brought to the attention of leaders and public figures.

 

The first two conventions dealt with current public affairs topics of those days. The first discussed the question: "Are cinema and theater appropriate entertainment for religious youth?" The second – "Israel-Germany Relations," a topic that preoccupied the Israeli public two decades after the Holocaust. Both discussions were successful, filled halls, and word of the parliament spread among religious high schools and "Bnei Akiva" youth movement branches, sparking curiosity among students and members.

 

Hundreds of young people from the Gush Dan area attended the third convention, choosing to forego the usual entertainment enjoyed by their secular friends. All crowded into the small hall to discuss the topic: "National Service for Girls." For most participants, the discussion seemed theoretical, as it dealt with a social taboo – in those years, most religious girls who received a draft notice for the IDF declared that they could not serve in the military for religious reasons. They were exempted from compulsory military service, and immediately after completing their high school studies, they moved on to the next chapter of their lives. They had no other option.

The question debated by the young parliament members gathered in the hall was: Had the time not come to enforce the law and obligate girls who did not enlist to perform National Service? The organizers chose a 17-year-old boy, Shaul Yahalom, to serve as "Parliament Chairman." Yahalom, a 12th-grade student at Zeitlin High School in Tel Aviv, excelled in organizational skills and social activism, as a youth movement counselor and a young party activist. Sitting in the chairman's seat, he took his role and status seriously. He invited two respected and well-known Knesset members to the discussion, each to present their stance, for or against. The strict chairman allocated each MK 20 minutes, during which they tried to convince the young audience. After their allotted time, a general discussion opened, giving the floor to parliament members, boys and girls, 11th and 12th graders, who expressed their opinions for and against.

 

The discussion lasted three hours, and at its conclusion, the young chairman drafted a resolution, the essence of which was:

"The Parliament mandates National Service for girls who do not serve in the military, calls upon girls to embark on a year of service, and calls for the establishment of a body that will manage and organize service areas and operate under religious and civilian supervision."

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The chairman's resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority of the young members, who quickly dispersed as it was late. Dan buses were waiting to pick up passengers for their last ride that night, and the "well-behaved" youngsters couldn't miss the ride and get home too late.