Barak (Gettynou), Jacob

Son of Haim and Victoria. He was born on March 18, 1937 in Mersin, Turkey. His family immigrated to Israel in 1949. Yaakov completed his elementary and high school studies at the WIZO school in Haifa and at the end of December 1954 he was drafted into the IDF and volunteered for the Navy. He served as a lieutenant on the Eilat destroyer. When the destroyer was hit, Yaakov was wounded and his life was in danger. After the devoted care of the doctors and nurses at Tel Hashomer Hospital, and thanks to his struggle to stay alive, he finally left the hospital. For reasons of his health, the family had to go down to Eilat and despite their fear that Yaakov would not be able to manage on the beach after ten years of continuous service on the sea, they acclimatized and Jacob was pleased with his new job. On January 24, 1970, Captain Yaakov fell in the line of duty in the rescue of an ammunition truck that exploded in Eilat. He left a wife and three children. The third child was born a week after his fall and received his father’s name. He was laid to rest at the military cemetery in Haifa.