Valentine's Day Special: 3 Love Stories That Began in the IDF

Ofer and Sharon, “We made a movie-like scene near the base gate”

Ofer Rochman met Sharon, who later became his wife, during their military service in the Southern Command. “Sharon, who used to live in Elei Sinai in the north, recruited a short while after I did, and we both served in the same position. You could say that she fell in love with me pretty fast and wanted us to be together.” Ofer was wrong when he thought that the relationship wouldn’t get serious, “After a month we started dating officially and I knew that everything was done. When she was released and had to leave the base, we made a movie like scene near the base gate – it was so moving.”

Ofer and Sharon

Maybe because of that, Ofer started to feel sick even before Sharon left the base, “I found myself stuck in bed. After all of the excitement of her release, Sharon came back to the base and I was sent home to recover. Sharon took me to her home in Elei Sinai, and tended me for a few days like you’d treat a baby until I could return to the base. Even my mom hasn’t known that I got sick.”

In 2010, two years after they were released, Ofer and Sharon got married, and today they are raising together their lovely baby girl.

Elad and Sigal, “We fell in love during Officers Course”

Elad and Sigal got to know each other during an Officers Course which they were taking together. “During the course preparation and the course itself we didn’t really notice each other, but we came together during the completion course. We went on a week in the field, and were assigned to the same military vehicle with another officer. Our love story has begun there and hasn’t stopped.”

Elad and Sigal 

It can be complicated to nurture a romantic connection in a military framework, but in the case of Elad and Sigal it was easier. Everyone was supportive of their relationship- even their commander, “Everyone knew we were together. Even our Completion Course commander, who is still a close friend of us today, was very proud that we were together.”

Denis and Yifat, “He was my commander, so it was difficult to hide it”

Denis and Yifat started dating when they were commanding on a group of soldiers together. Yifat is telling the story, “I was an instructor and Denis was a platoon commander officer, and we kept getting more soldiers to command on. I finished my instruction course and Denis appended me right away, we served in the same office, and after a month we became an official couple. We kept it as a secret for a while, but then somebody found out and I was transferred to serve under a new commander.”

Denis and Yifat

“Since we were commanding together, we never separated. It was very hard to hide the relationship, as he was my commander, and always had to act like one. Once I did something wrong, and he had to put me on a trial. We were the first commander- subordinate couple in the base, and after people found out about us more and more couples like us started to pop out. The base commander called us in for a talk because we were the ones that made it seem legitimate. It was somewhat depressing. Today we are married plus one daughter, and together for 9 years.”

 Resource: Pazam