The last time Chantel and Nicky Young saw their youngest son, Sgt. Nathanel Young, was in August 2023. Nathanel, who had moved to Israel two years earlier to enlist in the IDF and served as a combat soldier in the Golani Brigade, was on a short leave and flew to London to visit his family.
“We had a really wonderful time,” his parents recalled. “He had become a much more confident person, full of joy. He had made many new friends. Israel was his home. He had no intention of going back to live in England. That was certain.”
Nathanel’s decision to serve in the IDF had taken shape at a young age.
“When he was 13, he wrote in his school notebook that when he grew up he would join the army,” Nicky said, adding that he was also inspired by his siblings who were already living in Israel — his sister Gabrielle, known as Gabi, his brother Elliot and his brother Daniel, who served as a combat soldier in the Paratroopers Brigade. His parents and sister Miriam remained in London.
“Nathanel did not really like school and was not popular with his teachers. He would give up,” his father continued, saying that something changed in him once he decided to enlist.
“It was amazing. He was determined that this was what he wanted, and he did special training to become a combat soldier. He wanted to do it for the country and for the Jewish people.”
Nathanel achieved the goal he had set for himself and served as a combat soldier in Golani’s Battalion 13.
“He was very proud to serve in the brigade. At the beret march ceremony, the commander gave him his own beret.”
At the same time, he nurtured his love of music and his talent as a DJ. Nicky said that “people recognized him from the videos he posted. He was starting to become known.”
During that final visit to London, the parents spoke with Nathanel about their plans to immigrate to Israel as well.
“We planned to join him,” they said. “Nathanel was very excited that we would also be living in Israel. He dreamed of becoming wealthy so he could buy us a house to live in in Israel.”
A short time later, on Oct. 7, 2023, they were in France.
“We had already emptied our home in England ahead of the move to Israel. We were on vacation with my wife’s family,” Nicky recalled. “Because it was Shabbat, the phones were off, and only afterward did we see that Nathanel had called and we had not answered. When I got to prayers at the synagogue, I met Meyer Habib, a former member of the French parliament, who told us there was a terrible war in Israel and that people were being taken hostage. That was the first time I realized something was wrong.”
That morning, Nathanel fought heroically against Hamas terrorists who were on their way to the Yiftah post, an IDF position near the Lebanese border. He managed to exchange messages with his sister Gabi and asked her to be careful because of the rockets being fired at Israel.
“Stay safe,” he wrote to her, and she asked him in return to protect himself and take cover. At 7:14 a.m., Gabi asked him to update her on how he was doing, but Nathanel never answered that message. He was killed in battle.
Nicky and Chantel received the devastating news from their son Elliot, who drove under rocket fire to Ashkelon to search for his younger brother at the hospital. They immediately prepared to fly to Israel for the funeral, and Nicky speaks with pride about what he learned of his son after his death.
“We have incredible stories about how he helped people. Acts of kindness he did for others, testimonies from people Nathanel influenced and gave motivation to. He encouraged people who wanted to leave the army to continue serving in the IDF.”
Soon afterward, the bereaved parents completed their move to Israel, and they now live in Netanya.
“We will not let the terrorists win by causing us not to live in Israel,” Nicky explained. “There was never any question of whether we would change our plans. We knew we would live here. Amazing people and organizations are supporting us. They are happy we are here.”