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Abduction and killing of Nachshon Wachsman

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Nachshon Wachsman was a corporal in the Israel Defense Forces(IDF) who was kidnapped by Hamas activists in 1994 and later killed during a failed Israeli rescue attempt. He was 19 years old.

Background

A dual citizen of Israel and the United States, Wachsman was raised in Jerusalem. He is the third of seven sons born to an Israeli father and a mother who was born in a German displaced persons camp and immigrated to Israel from Brooklyn.[1] Wachsman volunteered for an elite commando unit of the Golani Brigade, serving in the Orev Golani.

Kidnapping

At home on a leave, the military instructed Wachsman to attend a one-day training course in northern Israel. He left Saturday night after the Sabbath and told his parents he would return Sunday night, October 9. He was last seen by a friend who reported that, after completing the training, Wachsman had been dropped off at the Bnai Atarot junction, a highly populated area in central Israel, where he could either catch a bus or hitchhike, a common practice by Israeli soldiers, to Jerusalem.

Israeli intelligence learned that Wachsman entered a car with Hamas Activists wearing kippot, a Bible and siddur on the dashboard, and Chassidic music playing. [2]

Muhammad Deif is the admitted Hamas mastermind of the abduction. [3]

Hostage Tape

On Tuesday, October 11, a videotape was broadcast showing Wachsman, with hands and feet bound, beside a keffiyeh-covered terrorist, displaying the soldier's identity card. After the terrorist recited the hostage's home address and identity number, Wachsman spoke with a rifle aimed at his temple: "The group from Hamas kidnapped me. They are demanding the release of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and another 200 murderous terrorists from Israeli prison. If their demands are not met, they will execute me on Friday at 8 P.M." [4]

Worldwide Support

Nachshon’s parents personally appealed to world leaders including then Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin, American President Bill Clinton, and Muslim religious leaders who urged Hamas to release the soldier.[5]

On Thursday night, with 24 hours until the ultimatum, prayer vigils were held throughout the world. Over 100,000 people representing all religious, political, and social segments of the Israeli population gathered at the Western Wall. Responding to a request by Esther Wachsman, Nachshon’s mother, women around the world lit an extra Sabbath candle for her son.[6]

Rescue Attempt

In the meantime, the Israeli military had captured the driver of the car which picked up Wachsman.[7] They learned from the informant that Wachsman was being held in a village called Bir Nabbalah, a location under Israeli control and only ten minutes away from his home in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem. Prime Minister Rabin authorized a military rescue attempt. [8]

On Friday, October 14 Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, and Yassar Arafat announced that they had won the Nobel Peace Prize. When asked his opinion on the "peace" that he had achieved in Oslo in light of Hamas's impending deadline, Peres responded that the peace processes involves "calculated risks." [9]

At 8:00 PM that night, at the hour of the ultimatum, the Wachsman family was informed that Nachshon had been killed during a failed military rescue attempt. Israeli Army Captain Nir Poraz and three terrorist kidnappers were also killed in the crossfire. [10]

Funeral

Nachshon Wachsman was buried on Saturday night, October 15, 1994, 11 Cheshvan, in the Mount Herzl military cemetery.[11]

Eulogy

Wachsman’s Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Mordechai Elon, gave the eulogy. At the request of the bereaved father, the rabbi told the crowd of mourners that God did listen to their prayers and that just as a father would always like to say "yes" to all of his children's requests, sometimes he must say "no" though the child might not understand why. "So too our Father in Heaven heard our prayers, and though we don't understand why, His answer was 'no.'" [12]

Beit Nachshon

Today “Beit Nachshon” of the Shalva Center in Jerusalem, an association for mentally and physically challenged children, is dedicated to Wachsman's memory. [13]

References

http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/terror_94/year.html

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