Yehoshua Yahalom Finkelshtein

Yehoshua (Shuka), son of Sarah and Shlomo, was born on the 25th of Tammuz 5703 (28.7.1943) in Kiryat Motzkin.

He attended the "Achdut" elementary school there, and then continued his studies at the high school at Ma'oz Haim and at the military boarding school. Yehoshua was a good student and was careful to prepare his lessons. He was a member of the "Mahanot HaOlim" movement in Kiryat Motzkin, an active member and accepted by all his counselors.

He was a photography enthusiast and had a large collection of photographs. Yehoshua loved the soil, and work in the fields filled his whole being. He was diligent and hardworking, devoted much thought and effort to developing the cotton branch on the farm, and was among the planners of the automatic installations intended to operate the irrigation system from a distance in the fields close to the border.

Yehoshua was optimistic and cheerful, and often joked and jested. He was a little mischievous, loved pranks, and at times his spirit of adventure got the better of him. He was sociable and made friends easily, loved company and was hospitable. He was upright and conscientious, a man of truth who kept his word. There was simplicity and modesty in him. He both preached well and practiced well, and always did his work faithfully and tirelessly. He was a loyal son to his parents, a devoted husband and a loving father.

He prepared to study in the Faculty of Engineering at the Technion in Haifa, and even passed the entrance examinations successfully.

Yehoshua was drafted into the IDF at the end of October 1961 and was posted to the Armored Corps. After completing basic training he took a parachuting course, an infantry squad commanders' course, an infantry officers' course, an armored infantry officers' course and a course for armored company commanders. He also served for several months in the regular army.

Yehoshua was regarded as a capable officer and a brave fighter, responsible and very devoted to his duty. He worried greatly about his soldiers and helped them in their civilian lives as well. As a rule he was not strict about the formalities of discipline, but he demanded precise execution from his subordinates. After his release from regular service he was called up often for periods of reserve duty, and he took part in the Six-Day War and in the War of Attrition that followed it. For all these he was awarded the "Six-Day War Medal" and the "Operational Service Medal".

In the Yom Kippur War Yehoshua took part in the holding and breakthrough battles against the Syrians on the Golan Heights. On the 15th of Tishrei 5734 (11.10.1973) Yehoshua fell in battle west of Khan Arnabeh on the Golan Heights. For displaying courage worthy of serving as an example, he was awarded the "Medal of Distinguished Service".

This is the description of the deed: "In the first days of the Yom Kippur War, Major Yehoshua Yahalom, of blessed memory, fought in the northern sector of the Golan Heights as commander of a reconnaissance company on jeeps. He was occupied mainly with evacuating casualties by jeep from the front to the rear and with guiding the tanks in combat against enemy armor. As the fighting continued, the company commanders in the unit of Major Yahalom, of blessed memory, were hit. He demanded of his commander that he be appointed commander of a tank company, although he had no professional training for it. His commander acceded to his demand and let him command a tank company, and he carried out the new role he had received efficiently, heroically and with great resourcefulness. On 11 October 1973 Major Yahalom, of blessed memory, led his company in the battalion's attack opposite the village of Khan Arnabeh. Under heavy Syrian artillery fire he continued to lead the attack, and at the edge of the Syrian trenches Yehoshua's tank was hit and he was killed on the spot. By these deeds Major Yehoshua Yahalom, of blessed memory, displayed exemplary courage, daring and devotion to the mission."

He was laid to eternal rest in the cemetery at Ma'oz Haim. He left a wife and three sons, a father, a mother, a brother and two sisters. After his death he was promoted to the rank of Major.

In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family his commander wrote: "Yehoshua was a loyal soldier, carried out with devotion all that was demanded of him, and was beloved by his subordinates and his commanders." His wife published a book in his memory called "Shuka;" the Beit She'an Valley Regional Council published a booklet called "How Are the Mighty Fallen, and the Weapons of War Perished" (2 Samuel 1:27), in memory of the sons of the region who fell in the war, Yehoshua among them; and in the Israeli soldiers' newspaper, "Bamachane", an article about him was published when he was awarded the "Medal of Distinguished Service".