Markowitz, Yosef

Yosef, son of Pepi and Moshe, was born in Romania in 1953. He immigrated to Israel in 1963 with his family, who settled in Haifa, where he began his elementary studies in Romania and completed three years of study. After graduating from a school in Haifa, he studied art for a year and began to work as a needle in a factory in Haifa, where he was devoted and loyal to his family and used to pay part of his wages to his parents, to ease the agriculture of the house. In mid-May 1971 he was assigned to the Armored Corps. After basic training he was sent to the Armored Corps School, where he underwent several courses and was certified as a liaison officer in a tank. He was later assigned to an armored brigade in Sinai and served there as a liaison officer. He was a good soldier, devoted and responsible. His commanders relied on him, knowing that any role they would play would be carried out meticulously and thoroughly. Joseph was friendly and acceptable to his fellow members of the unit thanks to his integrity and his being a good and devoted friend, always ready to do his best for the sake of others. He spent all his regular service in Sinai. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Yosef fought in a stronghold on the banks of the Suez Canal. The soldiers came to defend the stronghold with their bodies, in order to stop the Egyptians’ attack. On the 7th of Tishrei 5740 (October 7, 1973) during the battle against the enemy forces, his tank was hit by a missile and he was killed. At first his burial place was not known and he was declared missing. His body was later discovered and he was brought to eternal rest in the Haifa cemetery. Survived by his parents and sister. After his fall, he was given the rank of sergeant. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, his commander wrote: “Joseph fell in battle during his duty in the southern sector of the Suez Canal, near the” dock post. “Yosef served in an armored unit as a liaison officer in a tank crew. His friends. ” The name of Yosef and his comrades in the battalion, who fell defending the country, was immortalized in a book commemorating the fallen soldiers.