"I am afraid of a schism in Israel," Yehuda Wachsman tells Israel Hayom in a special interview marking the 25th anniversary of the abduction and murder of his son Nachshon, who was then an IDF soldier.
The story of Sgt. Nachshon Wachsman is imprinted on the nation's collective memory after the heroic rescue attempt by Sayeret Matkal soldiers on Oct. 14, 1994.
Under direct orders from then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the elite fighters set out to rescue Wachsman from the home in the village of Bir Nabala where he was being held. But the terrorists killed Wachsman before he could be extracted, and in the gunfight that ensued Capt. Nir Poraz was also killed.
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"Time doesn't help. I've become weaker, and sick. It's very hard to deal with it," says Yehuda.
Despite the difficulty, Yehuda remains optimistic and says that on Nov. 7, a memorial service for his son (according to the Hebrew calendar date of his death) is planned that will include soldiers from the Sayeret Matkal and from the Orev Unit in the Golani Brigade, where Nachshon served.
"I'm still in touch with them, and with Nir Poraz's sisters," Yehuda says.
"Nachshon was 19, a symbol of innocence. He wanted to defend Israel, the people of Israel, and the Torah of Israel, with our ancient traditions and met his death at the hands of a Hamas terrorist cell. He took things as they were like he was told to. He served in Lebanon for six months, against Hezbollah, and did the best work he could."
Yehuda does not bear a grudge for what happened in the failed rescue attempt.
"I'm not angry. It's been 25 years and most of the people involved in the [rescue] operation aren't alive anymore. Is there a reason to be angry at the dead? Aside from that, I'm sure that they wanted the best, and what happened, happened."
Yehuda connects that same dark week when hundreds of thousands were praying for Nachshon's safe return, to the current polarization in Israeli society and the unstable political situation, calling for an immediate end to political fighting.
"While Nachshon was abducted, a lot of people of all ethnicities came to the Western Wall – religious and secular – to pray he would be saved. There was great unity among the people. That's what I would like our leaders to learn from – that we have to come together to form a government soon, and remember the time of Nachshon's abduction."
Yehuda points out that Nachshon was a captive and the Sayeret Matkal set out to rescue him, "without asking if he voted for the National Religious Party or anyone else. They were ready to sacrifice their lives to save an Israeli soldier, and it didn't matter where he was from or where he was aligned. Somehow, 25 years after that phenomenon of responsibility for one another and sacrifice … has become weaker. We are being separated, which is a big danger to our existence in Israel."
Q: Are you afraid that in the future, soldiers won't want to go on missions to rescue abducted soldiers?
"That is a concern, given what we're seeing in politics," Yehuda says.
"We're always in a war, and we don't have the luxury of such big [internal] divisions. Everyone needs to compromise so we can unite and strengthen the people who make decisions. We are surrounded by very strong enemies. They have missiles pointed at us, and Iran wants to wipe us off the map. At a time like this, we should split? Nachshon symbolized innocence."
