Barkai, Yoav
Yoav, son of Rachel and Moshe z’l, was born on August 18, 1940, in Kibbutz Ein Harod Ichud, he studied at the elementary school and then completed high school in the Ein Harod joint school. As a youngster, Yoav was friendly and loved everything, but he always wanted to take on a position with authority and responsibility, and he was active in various committees at the school, and he was a member of the Working Youth Movement And in his youth he served as a counselor on behalf of the movement in the communities of the Ta’anach region, and stood out in his independent way of thinking and did not hesitate to stand up and even deal with adults in matters that determined a firm stand for them He was a sports and dance enthusiast and was active in cultural events in the children’s company and in the kibbutz in general Yoav was drafted into the IDF in early 1958 and assigned to the Armored Corps. Before he was drafted, he successfully passed pilot tests, but gave up his dream of being a pilot, out of consideration for the feelings of his parents, who lost his pilot brother, Amram Barkai, when Yoav was fourteen. After completing basic training, he was ordained as an NCO Superintendent of the “Centurion” tank, and after completing his regular service with the rank of First Sergeant, he was called for periods of reserve duty. The commander of the tank division was sent to the course of the Six-Day War, and Yoav was sent to the Armored Corps course and was appointed the commander of the tank division. He began to concentrate on the field of agriculture and devoted himself to work with great passion. His constant dedication to new challenges left the flourishing industry for a while and became the guide of the youth company in the kibbutz. And after three years of training, he married Liora, one of his apprentices in the youth company, and returned to the agricultural sector in early March 1973. At the beginning of 1973, Yoav decided to study electronics and began attending evening courses But he did not complete his studies. In the Yom Kippur War, Yoav arrived with his unit to the Golan Heights front and took part in the difficult battles against the Syrians. On the 11th of Tishrei 5740 (7.10.1973), a large Syrian force threatened the brigade’s plans in the area of the oil pipeline and the volume base. Yoav and his comrades came out with four tanks to try to stop the enemy’s advance in the area. They destroyed enemy tanks one by one and even saw the enemy begin to retreat. The crew continued to storm the enemy until the ammunition was depleted in the tank and it was hit directly. After the attack, he fell and was killed during an assault on his last forces. Yoav was brought to eternal rest in the Ein Harod cemetery. He was followed by a wife, three children (the youngest of whom was born four months after his fall), a father and a sister.
