More than three decades after the death of former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. David (Dado) Elazar, his son Yair Elazar has made a documentary film about his famed father, who experienced a meteoric rise through the IDF ranks followed by a painful descent after the Yom Kippur War.
The film "Missing Father" will air on Channel 1 on Saturday night, on the fortieth anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, during which Elazar led the IDF.
"This is an unresolved story that I have carried with me all my life," Yair Elazar says in an interview with Israel Hayom. "I always knew I would have to deal with this issue, until I was forced to jump into the water and do it."
How was your encounter with the materials about your father-
"It was a long process of almost five years and I could not have done it without the help of my wife Tal, who wrote the script and was a creative partner, as it was very tough for me to deal with the personal materials. Looking back, I can say that it was truly worth the effort. This was an effort than changed my life."
On a personal level, what were you trying to achieve in this film-
"My main motivation was to be with my father a little longer. I lost him at the age of 10 and all my life I felt that I didn't get enough from him. I'm a professional film editor, and I had the opportunity to receive my father in the editing room, look at him again and again, and fix him with Photoshop. I met with people who could enlighten me about his character and answer questions that I maybe avoided in the past."
Were you trying to understand why he perhaps invested more of himself in the country than in his family-
"It's true that to be the son of a military man exacts a personal price that you did not choose. I can't say that I was pleased. I had many complaints against him, one of which was that he put the good of the country ahead of his family. This angered me greatly. After the injustice done to him by the Agranat Commission [the commission's report stated that "Elazar bears personal responsibility for the assessment of the situation and the preparedness of the IDF"], I often asked myself why he chose to be a sucker for a country that did not appreciate him. But over the years, I understood the importance of this, that he truly did deeply meaningful things that left a lasting impact after his death. He died at the age of 50 and for more than three decades he took part in important junctures in the country and left his mark. Today, I have greater respect and understanding for this."
In his letter of resignation following the Agranat report, Elazar wrote: "I cannot comprehend why the commission thought that I should have concluded that reserves should be called on 5 October, and yet the Minister of Defense could not have arrived at the same conclusion, while we had exactly the same information and there was no one on the general staff who thought or suggested that reserves be called." On 15 April 1976, David Elazar died of a heart attack while swimming. He is buried on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem.
After making the film, have you overcome your anger at the country-
"I never attributed the injustice done to my father to the entire country. The citizens of the State of Israel made it clear to him while he was still alive that they believed in and supported him. A small group of politicians was responsible for the injustice done to him. So I didn't have a score to settle with the country as a whole. But the injury cannot be healed, even if the politicians involved are no longer alive. In any case, it won't be forgotten."
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו