Gantz Shares Personal Story in Knesset Health Committee Discussion on Dementia

During a Health Committee discussion on treating dementia patients, Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz spoke publicly about his wife Revital’s illness and a diary she wrote in the early stages of the disease. He said he brought the story to the committee both to highlight his family’s experience and to raise awareness of dementia and its effects on patients and their relatives.

Gantz said the diary, which has not yet been published, helped him understand how his wife felt and how the illness progressed. “I thought it was right to tell Revital’s story from her perspective, but also about the disease itself,” he said. “She knew what she was writing, how she felt and how she was developing, and it was very interesting to read.”

He said the decision to go public was not easy, adding that many people do not have the resources, or even the courage, to deal with such a situation in the same way his family did. “It does not mean they are not facing the problem,” he said. Gantz warned that the number of people living with the disease is expected to rise and urged the state to treat it as a national issue: “We are at numbers that are unfortunately growing. We need to deal with this on a national level.”

He described dementia as a quiet but devastating illness that gradually changes everyday life, comparing its impact in some ways to invisible psychological wounds. Gantz thanked those working in the field, said he is willing to help advance the fight against the disease, and noted that he donated all the proceeds from his book to the Israeli Alzheimer’s Center and related support activities. He ended by speaking warmly about his wife: “My wife is truly wonderful. What endures across time is character. You can see that even today, her character is still steadying her. They are wonderful people, and they deserve good care. We will do everything for that.”