A new project advanced by the Israel Defense Forces Manpower Directorate seeks to hold empowerment workshops to help the wives of combat officers cope with the complex reality of having their husbands serve on the front lines. The project is the brainchild of Revital Gantz, wife of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, and Ruth Golan, wife of GOC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Yair Golan. The two introduced their concept to Head of Manpower Directorate Maj. Gen. Orna Barbivai in January and after the matter was reviewed by the military, an outline for quarterly workshops was devised. The first workshop was held several weeks ago and was divided into three groups: military wives residing in northern Israel attended a group led by Golan, those living in central Israel attended a group led by Gantz, and those living in southern Israel attended a group headed by the wife of former Southern Command chief of staff Brig. Gen. Roi Elkabetz. Some 130 women participated in the first workshop, which included presentations by various professionals who discussed some of the dilemmas the women said they faced on a daily basis. The Manpower Directorate expressed hope that future workshops would attract more military wives, saying it plans to add lectures by family and couples counselors, who would address the various issues raised in the first workshop. "Military wives, whose husbands serve as battalion or brigade commanders and are rarely home, have to deal with great complexities both as parents and as spouses. These workshops aim to support a healthy family life alongside a military life," a source in the Manpower Directorate told Israel Hayom. "The idea is to create empowerment groups where the women can share and discuss their experiences, since they can offer each other a unique perspective. The commanders in the field are affected by their home life, especially if they know their wives are unhappy. A solid family life can help them do a better job," he said.
