Damati, Joseph

Son of Ahuva and Avraham, was born on April 12, 1957 in Tel Aviv. Yosef attended the “Hatikvah” and “Hurv” elementary schools in Tel Aviv. As a member of a religious family, he chose to continue his high school studies in Kfar Ganim near Petah Tikva, which combines secular studies with religious studies. Joseph worked hard on his studies and excelled in them. During his studies he discovered a talent for drawing; He also excelled in sports and won several gold medals in competitions in which he represented his school. Yosef was drafted into the IDF in mid-July 1975, and chose to combine his service with Torah study and was accepted to the hesder yeshiva in Kiryat Arba and did basic training as part of the Nahal Brigade. After basic training he was transferred to an armored unit. For four years Joseph devoted himself to the yeshiva and to the IDF, and his service was impeccable, and the commander’s assessment was that he was a “very good and dedicated soldier.” During his service, After graduating from the son of-Gurion University of the Negev, he began studying at the Bar-Ilan University in the field of Sociology and Education, where he taught at the yeshiva in Kfar Ganim. Yosef was not satisfied with economic independence. He even financed his brother’s studies at the university and helped to support the household. Joseph was endowed with perseverance, altruism and humility. Be shy and timid. His great patience and strong desire to succeed stood him on many tests. With the outbreak of the Peace for Galilee war, Yosef was called up for active reserve duty. On June 10, 1982, Cpl. Yosef fell in combat in Lebanon and was brought to eternal rest in the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul, after which he was promoted to the rank of sergeant, leaving behind his parents and four brothers. He did and did everything he was asked to do quietly, modestly and precisely, with all his Lev. “His condolences to the bereaved family, his commander wrote,” Demeti was a professional and dedicated staff member who always did his work in perfection and in secrecy – in training and in war. “His family commemorated the entry of a Torah library in his name to the synagogue at Yeshivat Kfar Ganim The “Nir” Yeshivah in Kiryat Arba published a special pamphlet, “Aloni Mamre”, in which he praised the four yeshiva students who fell in the Peace for Galilee war, among them Joseph, as well as their writings and writings.