Three years after October 7: The medic who returned to the moment he chose to stay

Yedidya Vaknin, a MADA medic and commander in the Kfir Brigade, found himself facing a wounded person while a terrorist was still in the vicinity. Despite the danger and fear, he chose to stay and treat him. Three years later, precisely during the days of soul-searching, he speaks about the privilege of being there, about a sense of mission, and about the strength to get up and continue — a spirit that will also be at the center of the traditional awakening conference of the Sderot Yeshiva, which will begin on Tuesday at 17:00.

"Take care of yourself, brother, I've already been wounded." This sentence was heard by Yedidya Vaknin, then 19, when he approached a wounded person lying on the street on October 7. Nearby, there was still a terrorist who had shot him. Yedidya, a MADA medic and commander in the Kfir Brigade, knew he was risking himself, but chose to stay and treat the wounded person.

"You don't arrive at such a situation prepared. You don't have time to think if you want or don't want to do it. You just do it. Despite all the noise around and everything I saw, I decided to give him the medical response that was possible. Unfortunately, we didn't succeed, but we tried. A holy person."

For Yedidya, that moment did not end when the event was over. It became part of the way he looks at what happened and his choice to act. "You have all the reasons to come and make excuses for yourself. To say why I did, why I saw, why I even came for the holiday and could have stayed home with the family. But I chose not to make any excuses for myself."

Instead of focusing only on fear, he speaks about the sense of mission and the strength he received precisely from the people who acted around him. "You see people, soldiers, volunteers, friends, who simply act, without feeling sorry for themselves. Trying to save. And that gives you the strength to continue."

This choice to get up and continue is also the spirit behind the traditional awakening conference of the Sderot Yeshiva, which will be held on Tuesday, the 19th of Elul, and will begin at 17:00. Hundreds of reservists, graduates, students, residents of the area, and guests are expected to arrive for a day of study and awakening under the sign of renewal and revival.

Throughout the evening, there will be classes by rabbis and Torah leaders, including Rabbi Dror Tavil, Rabbi Ben-Zion Algazi, Rabbi Eran Tamir, Rabbi Ohad Tirosh, Rabbi Dani Sharhton, Rabbi Kobi Dvir, Rabbi Hagai Londin, Rabbi Uri Sternberg, Rabbi Eliezer Kashtiel, and Rabbi Boaz Kahana.

At 22:15, the head of the Yeshiva, Rabbi David Pendel, will give the central lesson, followed by a gathering with Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, led by Rabbi Eyal Yakubovich, which will conclude with a central Selichot ceremony in the study hall.

Three years after that morning, the connection between Yedidya's story and the awakening conference seeks to offer a different look at the days of Selichot: not just soul-searching about what was, but also a renewed choice in action, in faith, and in the ability to rise from the brokenness and continue to build.