Wahba, Joseph

Yosef, son of Leah and Eliyahu, was born on February 27, 1953 in Tel Aviv, the seventh son of nine siblings, and attended the Alkalai Elementary School in Tel Aviv, He was very reserved and did not want to stay in the boarding school, but soon became involved in social activities, was interested in studies, and had close ties with children and adults, he was an excellent student and one of the outstanding students at the boarding school. He built an amphitheater on the sports field, and when the Six-Day War broke out, Yosef was appointed to fill the place of a guide who was recruited. So that an adult could boast of it, too, and take care of the needs of the children, food and clothing, children of his age or younger than a year or two. Yossi went to Kibbutz Lehavot Haviva, where he spent four years, where he also met Shulamit, his girlfriend, and was an optimistic, good-hearted and joyful guy. -Haim. Yosef was drafted into the IDF at the end of May 1971. He completed his basic training at the Armored Corps School and then completed an armor course with a high grade. During the period of his service in Sinai, he married his girlfriend Shulamit and they moved to a shack next to her parents’ home, and he improved and renovated the hut with his own hands, making it a pleasant and Yaffa home full of love and warmth. In the battles of containment and break-in as a tank driver, he was an excellent driver, and there was no need to steer him from the turret, He was the first to finish taking care of the tank, and immediately ran away from the tank. After a few days of fighting, his force burst into the West Bank of the canal, and for a long time the force fought on the outposts of the Chinese farm until finally three tanks were left and they were ordered to rescue the wounded and killed, His tank was hit directly from close range and exploded. Yossi fell on the 15th of Tishrei 5734 (15.10.1973). At first he was declared missing. After his body was identified, he was brought to eternal rest in the military cemetery in Holon. Survived by a wife, mother and eight brothers. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant. According to the testimony of his commander, Yossi was the best soldier he knew during the war. He wrote about him: “An excellent crewman who knows his work and is not afraid to do it even under the worst conditions, under fire.” Defense Minister Moshe Dayan wrote in his letter to the young widow: “Yosef served in the Armored Corps. He was a devoted soldier and a loyal friend. Everyone they knew loved. “The family donated a Torah scroll to the Yeshurun ​​Synagogue in Tel Aviv