Koznik, Yosef

Yosef, son of Deborah and Nissan, was born on 14.1.1943 in France. In 1949 he immigrated to Israel and studied at the Tel-Nordoi Elementary School in Tel Aviv and at the ORT vocational high school in Jaffa. Joseph’s childhood was spent in France during World War II, and his family fled from their hometown in the south of the country to its center and then, in 1949, immigrated to Israel. Yosef was a good student and an avid painter. Drawing was his hobby and his main preoccupation with leisure. He also liked pop music and listened and recorded. He was handsome young and tall, serious, quiet and with a responsible attitude to everything he did. He was very devoted to his family and was considered a loyal and responsible worker in his workplaces. Yosef was drafted into the IDF at the end of June 1961. After a period of training, he served in armored and armored personnel units as a half-track driver, and was called for reserve duty in the Armored Corps and took part in the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition. He was a close friend of his family and especially his mother, who died of a fatal illness shortly after the Six-Day War. This affected him greatly and depressed him until his dying day. Yosef participated in battles in Sinai as a half-track driver. His unit was one of the first to encircle the Third Army of the Egyptians near the city of Suez. On the 8th of Tevet 5764 (2.1.1944) Yosef died during his military service and was brought to eternal rest in the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery, leaving behind a father and two brothers, after which he was promoted to the rank of corporal.