A special event took place on Thursday evening in Jerusalem, marking 25 years since the death of IDF soldier Nachshon Wachsman, who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists, as well as the death of IDF Captain Nir Poraz who was killed during the unsuccessful rescue operation.
Esther Wachsman, Nachshon's mother, told Arutz Sheva: "I can't believe that 25 years have passed because I feel it every day. This evening is very moving for me - the fact that it wasn't me that arranged this event but his friends - who also haven't forgotten him and want to honor him."
Wachsman still expresses regret about the failed operation. "When they found out where Nachshon was and [Prime Minister Yitzhak] Rabin decided on a rescue operation, he didn't plan it well. He did it within 24 hours. He should have bought more time to perform the operation more successfully. I hope they learned this lesson."
Despite her grief and sorrow that persists to this day, Wachsman didn't have the luxury of wallowing in her grief immediately after Nachshon's death. "I tell the Jewish people that as much as I almost collapsed at that time and all I wanted was to get into bed and put the blanket over my head, I had six other children that needed their mother. I made two weddings and a bar mitzvah that year. There are two words that I want to tell everybody and maybe you can learn from me: 'I chose life.'"