Journalist Yishai Shinar reported on Twitter on Saturday night: “Sectoral boom: Ofer Winter’s daughter and Ofek Buchris’s son got engaged.”
The reason this was, indeed, big news to the Religious-Zionist sector, as the match unites two of the most outstanding religious IDF commander who have been under the thumb of the outgoing Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot.
Brigadier General Ofer Winter today serves as military secretary to the defense minister. In the past he served as head of Central Command, commander of the northern brigade in the Gaza Strip, commander of the 646 brigade, commander of the Duvdevan unit and the commander of the Givati Brigade.
In June 2018, Winter, a revered commander, was dropped from the IDF’s promotions round. Indeed, since the 2014 Gaza war, Winter had not been promoted, and was overlooked as the next military secretary to the prime minister.
Winter, known as a stubborn officer who thinks outside the box, was not loved by now departing chief of staff, Gadi Eisenkot, who was showing him the door by keeping him back. The reason for Winter’s career delay was his expression of Jewish patriotism when he read his daily message to his fighters in the Givati Brigade before the ground invasion of Gaza in 2014:
“History has chosen us to be at the forefront of fighting the Gazan terrorist enemy, who is arrogant and vilifies the God of Israel. I raise my eyes to the heavens and call out to you, ‘Shema Yisrael, the Lord Is our God, the Lord Is One.’ The God of Israel, please give us success in our paths, as we are going to fight for the sake of your people Israel against an enemy who defames you.”
Needless to say, the Israeli left and the largely left-leaning, were not pleased.
Ofek Buchris reached the rank of brigadier general and served as commander of the Interdepartmental College of Command and Headquarters, as commander of the Bashan Division in the Northern Command, and as commander of the Golani Brigade.
He was decorated with the Chief of Staff’s citation for his heroism during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002.
In 2016, Buchris was convicted in a plea bargain in which he admitted behavior not befitting an officer, and engaging in prohibited congress with consent. A female soldier who served under Buchris during his service as commander of the Golani Brigade, filed a complaint in February 2016 that led to a Military Police investigation against him on suspicion of rape, and his suspension from the IDF.
Initially, Buchris denied all allegations against him. On July 21, 2016, Judge Advocate General Sharon Afek filed an indictment against him, for rape, sodomy, indecent assault and inappropriate behavior against a female officer and a female soldier under his command. On December 1, 2016, Buchris signed a plea agreement, in which the State Attorney’s Office deleted the rape clause from the indictment, and Buchris admitted to inappropriate conduct and prohibited sex with consent.
He was convicted and sentenced to a nine-month suspended prison sentence and a demotion to the rank of colonel.
Despite his confession as part of a plea bargain, his wife, Naama, maintains her trust in his innocence.