Sarig, Yosef

Yosef, son of-Tikva and Nahum, one of the founders of Kibbutz Beit Hashita, was born on March 24, 1944 in Kibbutz Beit Hashita and grew up there. He attended the kibbutz elementary school and finished high school at the kibbutz high school. He was an outstanding student and interested in many areas, but devoted special attention to historiography. He was naturally curious and very alert to everything happening around him. He also had a quick grasp and a clear and concise expression. He was a friendly boy and all his friends loved him; There was always a source of joy for everyone who knew him and yet he was an introverted and lonely boy. From childhood, he excelled in a rich soul, which was very assertive and delicate. He grew up in a warm family, with love and affection, and was very attached to his parents and brothers. His great talent for music was discovered in his childhood and he learned to play the piano, began to write songs and melodies for the holidays in the economy and even appeared in singing and playing at various events. He tried his hand too. As a member of the kibbutz, he was a member of the kibbutz brigade and after graduating from high school, when he was seventeen, he left for the 13th year in Tel Aviv, Volunteered to serve in the Armored Corps. After basic training and after completing a tank commander course, he completed an officer’s course and completed a course for armored officers and a course for commanders of armored companies. He was an excellent soldier and graduated with honors. His commanders at that time noted him as a commander with a serious attitude to his position and efficient in his work. In the army, too, he was the driving force in every social activity, writing songs, playing and singing at the party’s. Wherever he went he was loved by his friends and subordinates. In 1965 he was discharged from regular service and returned to the agriculture. For a while he worked in the field of floriculture and studied in the evenings, and in 1966 he went to study music at the Oranim Institute. After that, he studied with the composer Noam Shariff. When the Six-Day War broke out he was drafted and participated in battles on the southern front, and after the war he was awarded the rank of captain. In 1968 he completed his studies and since then has divided his time between work in the agriculture and extensive musical activity. He taught music at the kibbutz school and music studios in Ein Harod and Beit Shean, conducted the choir and the dance orchestra of Beit Hashita and participated in the Kibbutz Hameuchad Choir. At the same time he wrote poems, composed many works, and wrote philosophical essays. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Yosef was drafted and sent with his unit to the Golan Heights. He fought as commander of a tank division that repulsed the Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, in the region of Hoshenia. On the 10th of Tishrei 5734 (October 10, 1973) he fell in battle and was brought to eternal rest in the cemetery at Kibbutz Beit Hashita. He left behind a wife and two sons, parents, three brothers and a sister. After his fall, he was promoted to the rank of Major and awarded the “Medal of Honor” for his heroism in battle.