When the seventh-grade students at Yeshivat AMIT Nachshon learned that Nathaniel Werker, father of their classmate Itai, has been suffering from post-battle PTSD for 25 years and is still fighting for his rehabilitation, they decided to support him.
Nathaniel Werker was wounded in the head in 1996 during the opening events of the Western Wall tunnels. At that time, he served as a soldier in Ramallah where he was previously wounded. After his head injury he returned to his unit and finished his service. Soon afterwards, Nathaniel began to experience PTSD.
For the past three weeks Nathaniel has been protesting near the offices of the Rehabilitation Division in Jerusalem. His wife and three children encourage him day and night. “All he wants is to receive the care, accompaniment and support he deserves as a soldier who served the State of Israel wholeheartedly,” the family members say.
The class decided to help ease the family’s struggle, and all of Itai’s classmates got together specifically to do so. Student Eitan Assaf shares: “For me and for my classmates, supporting justice is important and meaningful. We feel privileged to support an IDF veteran who suffers from PTSD, and our classmate, and I am proud of that.”
Rabbi Noam Krigman, Rosh Yeshiva, adds: “We educate our students for deep social involvement. Especially when their classmate is in a difficult situation, it was clear that we would all mobilize to support him and be with him. I am proud of their teacher Rabbi Yoel Raanan, who led their efforts.”
