Oldest active IDF reservist, 95, lights Independence Day torch: ‘The people of Israel are eternal’

Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Ezra Yachin, Israel's oldest active reserve soldier, lights a torch for Israel's 76th Independence Day, May 13, 2024. (Screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Ezra Yachin, Israel's oldest active reserve soldier, lights a torch for Israel's 76th Independence Day, May 13, 2024. (Screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Lighting a torch representing “victory of the spirit,” 95-year old Ezra Yachin, the oldest active duty reservist in the Israeli army, says that he is celebrating the “spirit of heroism” that has marked Jews “from generation to generation.”

“I am proud to serve until this day as a loyal soldier,” he declares. “The people of Israel are eternal.”

A former member of the underground Lehi militia who enlisted at the age of 15 and was wounded in the War of Independence, Yachin returned to uniform following October 7 to share his experiences with current IDF soldiers.

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