Spy at 15 and Fighter at 95: Meet Ezra Yachin, Israel's Veteran Warrior

At the beginning of the Iron Swords War, about a year ago, like many others, reserve fighter Sergeant Major Ezra Yachin came to the recruitment office. What stood out was his advanced age: Ezra is 95 years old. Over the years, he fought in many battles and was even injured on several occasions, but his service today is within the military rabbinate. He lectures soldiers on the commandments of inheriting the land of Israel and even authored a commentary on the Torah called "Land of the Covenant," which deals with the commandment of conquering the land.

Not only is he the oldest reserve fighter in Israel, but he also started his fighting at the youngest age: at age 15, he already fought Arab rioters as part of the underground organizations. Eighty years later, he donned the uniform again.

Ezra was born to a Halabi family living in the Yemin Moshe neighborhood. His parents, unfortunately, did not observe mitzvot, but Ezra took upon himself the yoke of mitzvot as a young boy. In his book "El Nekam" he writes: "One day my older brother David told me about the Maccabees... I was then ten... I hoped and believed that one day a man like Matityahu would rise for us, call the people, and say: 'Whoever is for Hashem, join me.' I was impatient, when would he rise already? Days passed without a king and without a hero."

During the 1929 riots, Ezra was a year and a half old. A mob besieged the house, the family huddled in an inner room, maybe the crowd would think the house was unoccupied, but little Ezra cried out, prompting the Arabs to try breaking in to destroy, kill and annihilate. One of the intruders threw a large stone into the house, but the stone hit the wall and bounced back onto his head. He fell and died, and the crowd dispersed. But just a few hours later more Arab rioters came, this time the women came behind them with sacks for the loot. The doors didn't stand a chance against the mob armed with axes. But suddenly, by a miracle, a woman at the back shouted: "Leave the poor of Yemin Moshe, you'll find nothing inside the house, let's go to the luxury neighborhoods, to Rehavia, there you'll find porcelain, jewelry, and gold." Her words were heeded, and they turned back as they came. They never reached the Rehavia neighborhood; a single pistol shot drove them away further.

In Ezra's home, they didn't light a fire on Shabbat, and they ate kosher, but beyond that, they weren't particular. On his bar mitzvah day, Ezra donned tefillin and was called to the Torah, at that moment deciding to take upon himself all 613 commandments, to pray in the synagogue three times a day, and to do everything possible for the people of Israel.

At age 15, Ezra went out to work, like many boys his age at that time. He worked in the post office but never forgot his promise to act for the people of Israel. He contacted the underground organizations and offered them the transmission of information from the post office. It was a gold mine since nobody suspected the 15-year-old postman riding his bike and delivering letters, because he opened and copied every letter related to British officers and other targets assigned to him.

His parents knew nothing. They were very worried about his absences, but he used his return to faith as an excuse, always telling them about a Torah lesson or special prayer happening in some synagogue...

The abduction and murder of his good friend Alexander Rubowitz shook Ezra, leading him to join the fighting force alongside his espionage work at the post office. He trained in weapons, laid mines under the cars of British officers who sent Jews to the gallows, and shot at Arab rioters.

At some point, spies for the Haganah transmitted his underground nickname, "Datan," to the British, and he changed his nickname to "El Nekam," after the verse "'El nekamot Hashem'", to avenge the murders of his friends by the Arab rioters with the help of some of the British.

During the War of Independence, "El Nekam" fought in the famous battle of Deir Yassin, where Givat Shaul stands today, and in other neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Where the Knesset stands today, there was at that time an Arab village, whose houses were blown up by the Lechi fighters and the residents fled. In one of the battles, he lost his eye but didn't forget his desire to take revenge on that British officer named "Perrin," who tortured and killed his friend Alexander Rubowitz. Several years after the establishment of the state, a piece of mail arrived at Officer Perrin's home. One of the household members opened the package, which exploded and killed him on the spot. Ezra Yachin never took responsibility for the event, and it might have been a coincidence.

Last year, Ezra enlisted in the army, teaching soldiers about the tradition of Israel, combat heritage, and belief in the righteousness of our path. We bless him that Hashem will give him strength and long life.