Citron, Yosef (Ochi)

Son of Matilde and Benjamin, was born on 28.3.1925 in northern Transylvania, Romania. In the year 5706 he left with 20 members of the “Bericha route” to Italy and after they stayed there for about a year they boarded the illegal immigrant ship “Dov Hoz”. The ship was caught, but after 78 hours of a hunger strike the British allowed the immigrants to board the shore. Then Yosef wrote home, “Mother, I will not write to you that it was easy, but the main thing is that we have reached our destination.” From the ship he moved directly to Kibbutz Hulata and worked there for about a year. At the outbreak of the War of Independence he enlisted to defend the homeland and served in the Carmeli Brigade. In the operation near Nahariya, he was wounded in the shoulder, and although the wound remained sensitive to any strong contact, he returned to service. On a short vacation he met with his two sisters who had arrived in Israel. He took part in the battles for Jenin, and during the retreat he fell on a sharp rock, was hit and suffered internal bleeding. Yosef was evacuated to the hospital in Afula and died on June 3, 1948, before the doctor had time to examine him. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Afula.