Fernandez (Gafni), Yehuda

Son of Esther and Joseph, was born on 28 December 1926 in Jerusalem and attended elementary school. From his youth, he was devoted to the national values, and for them he gave up his personal desires. He went to the youth group in Ein Gev and later joined the “Mashavim” group that received training in Gvat. With great vigor and determination he overcame the transition from city life to village life and worked as a shepherd. From the early days, his love of the plant grew, and the garden around his tent was the most Yaffa in the camp. When his group moved as a work group to Herzliya, he asked to go to work in Sodom. He was always alert and diligent, and this year he consolidated his collective consciousness. On the “Black Saturday” (29.6.1946) when the British authorities arrested many Yishuv leaders and Haganah members and sought protective weapons, he was taken to Rafah and was detained there for two months. In order to avoid the British, his name changed to “Gafni”. Yehuda liked sports, and was number one in running competitions several times and achieved great achievements in crossing the Sea of ​​Galilee. He was modest, shy, polite and quiet by nature, brave and kind. He did everything so as not to burden others. He was loved by all he knew. During the War of Independence, he was drafted with several of his friends to the farm division in the Negev Brigade, which set out for operations in the Negev. He performed his tasks with precision. In order to calm his family, he wrote that he had gone to the Negev for a visit. Before the second truce, our forces carried out Operation Death to the Intruder in an attempt to break through the Negev. His unit attacked Hulikat, but was forced to retreat in the face of enemy superiority. This battle fell on the 11th of Tammuz 5708 (18.7.1948). He was buried in Ruchama. On the 26th of Tammuz 5766 (26.6.1950) he was put to rest at the military cemetery in the village of Warburg.