The Gender Advisor (GENAD) to the Chief of Defense Staff ( he, יועצת הרמטכ״ל לענייני מגדר, abbreviated to ) is a female officer in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

that is in charge of promoting conditions that allow for the optimal use of the capabilities of women serving in the IDF; promoting equal opportunities for women during their military service; and assimilating women into military leadership positions. Since 2021 the position has been held by Brigadier-General ."תא"ל אלה שדו שכטמן נכנסה לתפקיד היוהל"ם"
rigadier General Ella Shad-Shechtman took up the post of Gender Affairs Advisor to the Chief of Staff IDF website, 09.11.2021

History

The Woman's Affairs advisor dates back to the Women's Corps, commonly known by its Hebrew acronym CHEN ( he, ח״ן for ), that existed from 1949 to 2001. The corps was responsible for women soldiers, including: their absorption, recruit training, and transfers to IDF

units Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * Unit (album), ...

. During their service, the WC provided them with various services through WC units attached to units in other corps. It also operated a women's soldiers-teachers unit, which taught new immigrants and developing regions. Since the 1990s, the corps' authority began to gradually transfer into the regional commands and individual commanders, while the female soldiers-teachers unit was moved to the

Education and Youth Corps The Israeli Education and Youth Corps ( he, חיל החינוך והנוער, ''Heil HaHinuh VeHaNo'ar'') is the IDF Manpower Directorate corps responsible for the education of soldiers and commanders in Israel's military. It is designed to instruc ...

. In 2001, the

Defense Minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

Shaul Mofaz Shaul Mofaz ( he, שאול מופז; 4 November 1948) is a retired Israeli military officer and politician. He joined the Israel Defense Forces in 1966 and served in the Paratroopers Brigade. He fought in the Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, 1982 L ...

, announced the dismantling of the corps. Its command was replaced with a new Women's Affairs advisor to the

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

position. The corps' last commander was Brigadier General . On September 1, 2001, Suzy Yogev initiated the founding of the Women's Affairs advisor position, the dismantling of the Chief Women's Officer Command, and transferring the authority of caring for individual women soldiers’ problems to respective commanders, and placing the authority for the women soldiers training base to

GOC Army Headquarters The GOC Army Headquarters ( he, מפקדת זרוע היבשה, ''Mifkedet Zro'a HaYabasha'', abbreviated Mazi), is a multi-corps command headquarters created in 1998, which amalgamates the ground forces of the Israel Defense Forces. The current ...

. By 2014, the title and function of the Women's Affairs advisor was altered into "Gender Affairs Advisor" (). This shift, and the subsequent policy changes it brought about, created a strong dispute in Israel during 2016-2018. Chief of Staff Aviv Kokhavi has consequentially decided to take some steps back and to limit the authority and rank of the Gender Advisor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Women's Affairs Advisor Israel Defense Forces Women in war in the Middle East Women in 21st-century warfare Women in the Israeli military