Yetomi, Joseph

Son of Nina and Nissim. He was born in 1924 in Tiflis, Russia. His family first immigrated to Israel via Turkey in 1927 and settled in the Old City of Jerusalem. Due to the difficulties of earning a living in the city and the Arab harassment, the Yatomi family left the country and went to Turkey. In Turkey, Yosef and his family lived for three years, but their longing for Israel did not subside, and the family packed up their belongings and returned to Israel, this time on foot and in an illegitimate way. Yosef, who was seven years old, began studying at the Sokolov elementary school and continued to study for three years at the “Ma’aleh” high school, but was forced to stop his studies because of the difficulties of earning a living and going to work. During his studies he was a member of the Scouts movement. Joseph went to Tel Aviv, studied bookkeeping on his own and worked as a bookkeeper in a textile trade house. He paid his wages to his parents and sisters, and there was no end to his happiness when a year later, his parents and sisters joined him in Tel Aviv. At Beit Del in the Shapira neighborhood, the family managed to build a family nest. Joseph was a book lover, read a lot of books and he used his pennies to buy his private library – many books on the subject of thought, literature, especially books related to the history of the Jewish people, books left orphaned after his death. Joseph’s many friends described him as a gentle, alert and caring young man, devoted to the Zionist idea and loyal, loving and willing to help others. In response to the publication of the White Paper by the British government, which consisted of almost total prohibition of Jewish immigration and the purchase of land by them, rallies were held throughout the country with taxis and other protests. On November 14, 1945, British soldiers and policemen shot in the crowd and two wounded, including Yosef, were was taken to Hadassah Hospital for three weeks. On 4 Shvat, December 8, 1945, he died of his wounds and was buried in the Tel Aviv cemetery. Survived by his parents and two sisters. After his death a son was born to his parents, named after him, Yosef Haim. Articles in his memory were published in the newspapers Davar and Al Hamishmar.