Nachshon Wachsman was born on April 3, 1975 in Jerusalem to Yehuda and Esther. He attended the Horev Elementary School and graduated the Horev Yeshiva High School.
Nachshon was drafted into the IDF in August 1993 and volunteered for service in the Golani Brigade, as had his two older brothers. After his basic training, he served in combat duty in Lebanon.
At home on a leave, Wachsman was instructed by the military to attend a one-day training course in northern Israel. He left Saturday night after Shabbat, telling his parents he would return Sunday night, October 9, 1994. He was last seen by a friend who reported that, after completing the training, Wachsman had been dropped off at the Bnei Atarot junction, a densely populated area in central Israel, where he could either catch a bus or hitchhike, a common practice of Israeli soldiers, to Jerusalem. On October 9, Nachshon was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists disguised as religious Jews. Five days later, on October 14, an IDF rescue operation in Bir Najala, where Nachshon was being held, failed and Nachshon was killed, together with the commander of the rescue unit, Nir Poraz. He was buried in the Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery.
Many commemoration activities were done in memory of Nachshon. His parents published a book in his memory containing the words of family members, friends and commanders, about his character, combined with songs of the Land of Israel; Four Torah scrolls were written in his memory; A bird-migration school was inaugurated in Latrun, named for Captain Nir Poraz; A Center for Understanding and Tolerance was established in his name; The Beit Midrash, in the synagogue where he prayed, was named after him; The Nahshon and Nir Respiratory System for the Elderly and Infant Health Fund was established; Many parents around the country called their sons Nachshon. A new building was built in Jerusalem for Shalva, a center for handicapped children called Beit Nachshon.
