Lahak (Hak), Yoel

Son of Dina and Kalman, was born on June 20, 1948 in Kibbutz Maayan Baruch, and as a young man he moved with his family to Moshav Beit Herut. Yoel attended the regional elementary school in Kfar Vitkin and graduated from the “Ruppin Midreshet” high school. During his studies he was a member of the United Movement, first as an apprentice and then as a guide. Yoel was drafted into the IDF in August 1966 and volunteered to serve in the Paratroopers Brigade. To his disappointment, he was not returned to the paratroopers at the end of the officers’ course, but was transferred to a unit in the armored infantry. Yoel participated in his unit during the Six-Day War, and during the War of Attrition he was commander of the Tempo outpost in the Canal area. Later, he was stationed in the Gaza Strip and did much to quiet it down. The certificate of release he received at the end of his regular service was marked as “a dedicated and responsible officer with initiative.” When he was discharged from the army in mid-August 1968, Yoel returned to the kibbutz in Beit Herut. His fervent spirit sought out challenges and found them in the Shin Bet security service. Yoel was one of the young fighters who invested their best efforts to achieve quiet and security for the people of Israel, In 1972 Yoel married Ilana, and the family settled in Netanya. He began studying at Tel Aviv University and received a BA in Middle East and East Africa. In 1976, Yoel and his wife decided to change direction in life and moved to the moshav of Petzael, in the Jordan Valley. Yoel worked in the farm, growing vegetables, watermelons and a large grape vineyard. The family grew and numbered five people: parents, daughter Einat, and two sons – Oren and Ofer. Four years later, the family returned to Beit Herut. Yoel breathed life into the orchard branch of the moshav, and built a new sorting system for persimmons. Yoel excelled in organizing and management, was loved by all, introverted but friendly with many, as a father and husband he was exemplary. When the Peace for Galilee War broke out, he was called to active service in the framework of the General Security Service. On 4 Tamuz, June 25, 1982, Yoel fell in combat in Lebanon and was brought to rest in the Beit Herut cemetery. After his fall, he was promoted to captain. He left behind a wife, two sons and a daughter, parents and a brother. In a letter of condolences to the family, the defense minister spoke of Yoel’s qualities and noted that “he was an officer with the ability, showed initiative and good treatment for his subordinates, was a personal example, dedicated and daring.”