Yosef-Yehoshua, son of Nora and Meir, was born on May 5, 1943, in Haifa. He attended the “Yavneh” religious elementary school in Haifa, and after eight years of study went to the School of Clerical and Commercial Studies in Haifa and studied there for two years. Yosef was an alert and intelligent boy. From his childhood he had been interested in all that was going on around him. In elementary school he was loved by his teachers and schoolmates. After graduating from elementary school, he went to the School of Clerical and Commercial Studies, and after two years of study in this framework, he began to work alongside his father at the Akka factory in Haifa. “Despite the absence of formal education, Yosef discovered extraordinary commercial and administrative skills, and after the death of his father, he undertook to manage the family business and within a relatively short time developed it and expanded it to impressive proportions.” In his youth Yosef was active in the Bnei Akiva religious youth movement. With his friends he went on trips around the country, and actually fulfilled the commandment of Torah fear and love of the land. He was a dedicated son to his parents, helped them both with advice and practice, and was very careful about the mitzvah of honoring parents. His brother said: “After Father passed away, Yosef stood at Mother’s right day and night, and he did not spare himself a burden and work, time and money, and asked wholeheartedly to help her after she was widowed.” “Pallgi,” as Yehuda, Margalit, Yedidya, and Ruthie nicknamed their beloved brother. They noted his good character traits, his willingness to always help others, and the interest he found in each person, and added: “His one desire was to give his full energy and wisdom to any cause.” Joseph was a tall, firm man with red hair and gray eyes, who expressed kindness and love of people. Yosef was drafted into the IDF in late February 1961 and assigned to the Nahal Brigade. After basic training, he joined the Nachal group of the Bnei Akiva youth movement, where he served in an infantry unit and was known as a good and devoted soldier who did his job well. In the summer of 1963, when Yosef was discharged from regular service, he joined the father’s business and worked at the “Akka” factory, where he worked for two years in an indefatigable dedication and with a sense of great responsibility. And his lofty measurements were evident.
In mid-1969 he joined the IDF’s career army service. He returned to the army and completed a number of courses, for he was determined to donate his full energies to the enhancement of the IDF’s strength and to the security of the State of Israel, and he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel Joseph was known as an excellent officer and loved his subordinates, since his father died in the winter of 1971. He returned to Haifa and managed his company in Haifa, and in February 1972 he married his girlfriend, “In late December 1972, Yosef and Michal had their eldest son, Meir, who said:” Yosef was a model husband and a devoted father. But he did not hide his strong love for his son who was named after Yosef’s father and was very proud of his son. “At the height of the Yom Kippur fast, Yosef was called to his unit in the Armored Corps, He fought with courage and resourcefulness until he was hit and killed by a shell in the battle near Nahal Gesher on the 9th of Tishrei 5734 (October 9, 1973.) He was brought to eternal rest in the Haifa cemetery, leaving behind a wife and son, A mother, two brothers and two sisters. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, then-Defense Minister Moshe Dayan wrote: “Yosef served as a reserve officer in the Armored Corps. He was a graduate of an officers’ course. Joseph was a talented officer and a model friend. Everyone who knew him loved him. “
