"In one of [renowned Israeli photographer] David Rubinger's most famous photographs from the 1950s, we see Paula Ben-Gurion [wife of then Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion] peeking through the curtain of the Knesset. Everyone knew that the first lady arrived daily to ensure that her husband's meal was served to him just as she prescribed, at the right time, that he ate it all and that he took his medication on time." This is just one quote from a curriculum booklet published by the historical magazine "Segulah," dedicated to the Education Ministry's central topic for the year, "A year of leadership Ben-Gurion and Begin." Dr. Orna Katz-Atar, who oversees the teaching of history in the Ministry of Education's Pedagogical Secretariat noted that this year, as well as highlighting the leaders and their achievements, the ministry had decided to shine the spotlight on the role of the women who lived with them. The Pedagogical Secretariat provided teachers with information for integrating diversified curricula into their regular history classes to enhance students' experience. The article in the "Segulah" booklet deals with the lives of Paula Ben-Gurion and Aliza Begin, wife of sixth Prime Minister Menachem Begin. It explores the extent of their impact on the leaders' tenure, how their personalities differed yet how their conduct was similar and what place they earned within their husbands' busy schedules. The article suggests, for example, that Paula Ben-Gurion was an extrovert while Aliza Begin was very secretive. Both, however, devoted their lives to their husbands, leaving their own pursuit of higher education to look after their husbands' health and take care of their homes. Both expressed, at least outwardly, dissatisfaction with politics, voicing hope that their husbands would come home and find themselves different jobs. Both, however, were also slow to forgive political rivals who worked against their husbands. "We must remember the backdrop of the period in which these two women lived," said Katz-Atar. "In past generations, women weren't independent enough. Careers and self-realization were not high priorities in their lives. It is only in recent years that there has been growing recognition of women's contribution to their husbands' ability to fulfill leadership roles."
