Ashkenazi, Yehoshua (Slavo)

Yehoshua (Slavo), son of Victoria and Chaim (Vitali) Ashkenazi, was born in 1929 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He was educated from his childhood in the spirit of Zionism. Yehoshua joined the “Hehalutz” and later the “Hashomer Hatza’ir”, and after the liberation of Bulgaria from the rule of the Nazis he immigrated to Eretz Yisrael in October 1945. He joined the youth group at Kibbutz Hazorea, quickly settled in life and language and served as an interpreter for the young immigrants from Bulgaria.
He chose the building profession and was eager to train and study in it. When the War of Independence began he volunteered for the Palmach and served in the Yiftah Brigade. He wanted to serve as a simple corporal, but because of his talents he was sent to courses and specialized among the first in the use of heavy machine guns. Among other things, he participated in the bombing of the Sheikh Hussein Bridge, in the village of Kana, in Beit Shean, in the battle of Mishmar Ha’emek, Zandela, Zar’in, Kufrin, Ghawiya al-Fauqa, Acre, Safed, Malkiya, Yamazu, Lod and Ramle.
At the beginning of the Second Truce he went down with his unit to the Negev and took part in Operation “GC 1” to open the road to the Negev, and on July 27-28 his company set out to conquer Faluja. They were ordered to retreat, and on that day he fell, on the 21st of Tammuz 5708 (28 July 1948.) On 21 March 1951, he was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Haifa.