The son of Julia (Yaffa) and Avraham. He was born on December 31, 1966 in the “Poriya” hospital in Tiberias. Brother to Eyal, Uri, Shai, Nir, Yigal, Etti and Rachel. Was named after his paternal grandfather, Rabbi Yosef Avigdor, who was a rabbi, a ritual slaughterer and a disciple in the holy city of Tabriya. The family originated in Aleppo, Aram-Tzuba, from which they immigrated to Israel in 1845 and settled in the city on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Yossi spent most of his life – as a child and as an adult – in Tiberias, as a continuation of the lineage and family tradition. Yossi was a cute and pleasant young man, and he had a special charm on his face. He loved sports – tennis, basketball and swimming, but above all he loved soccer, both as a player on the field and as a pious observer. Under the direction of his teacher, Avraham Lifshitz, Yossi continued to study engineering at the Zvi Citrin Technological College. On July 17, 1984, he served in the Ordnance Corps and served in the Amiad base, where he studied and repaired electro-optical systems, night vision devices, laser devices, precision fire control devices, etc. Yossi’s wife, Irit, describes the personality of the man she was married to for seven years: “Yossi was a rare man with a wonderful personality, a very wise man with a lot of knowledge, and a great deal of wisdom. He was a caring and attentive husband, a real friend, very sensitive, could not bear the injustice done to people, he contributed to others with his money and energy, and always wanted to contribute more. Yossi loved life and wanted to do a lot. He had the knowledge that life is short.” At the age of thirty-three, Yossi became seriously ill, and for two and a half years he bravely dealt with complex surgeries and difficult treatments. He wandered among various hospitals, but was not saved. On the 26th of Nisan 5762, at the end of all the treatments, Yossi married his girlfriend Irit Elkayam. He did not receive many days of grace, for his sickness re-nested in his body, and with more courage. Yossi died on 29 Tamuz, 29 July 2003 while lying on his sickbed, surrounded by his loved ones. He was thirty-six when he died. He was laid to rest in the cemetery in Moshav Hazoreim. Survived by a widow, parents, two sisters and five brothers. After his fall he was promoted to the rank of senior sergeant. Rabbi Avraham Dov Auerbach, the rabbi of the city of Tiberias, who knew Yossi for many years, formulated the inscription inscribed on his tombstone: “Our son, my husband and brother is buried here. Dear and beloved Yossi, rewarded with kindness and humbleness, his heart is aware of the holiness … taken from us in his chosen years, refined in agony and holding his innocence.” Yossi was immortalized in a synagogue and spiritual center named after him in Porat Yosef. For full memorial, see Hebrew biography.
