Yosef Ziovish

Yosef, son of Bilha and Ben-Bezalel, was born on 17 Cheshvan 5713 (5.11.1952) in Tel Aviv.

He studied at the Moshe Hess elementary school and at the Ironi Municipal High School in Tel Aviv.

In his childhood Yossi was a stubborn, rebellious boy who did poorly in his studies. As time passed a surprising change came over him. He completed elementary school with distinction and was even accepted to Ironi Tet High School, where selection is usually very strict.

In high school too Yossi excelled in his studies, but he almost failed at the end because of a disaster that struck the family. While he was preparing for the matriculation examinations, his father, who was ill with cancer, lay dying in terrible agony. With the support of his mother, who understood that depression would not cure the father of his illness, Yossi continued to prepare for the examinations, and with uncommon strength of spirit he sat for the first matriculation examination a week after his father's death.

Yosef was drafted into the IDF at the beginning of February 1971 and was assigned to the Armored Corps. He went through many courses and completed all of them with high marks: the tank NCO course, the tank gunner course, the tank specialties course and the tank commanders course.

Toward the end of his compulsory service Yossi enrolled to study medicine at Tel Aviv University. He also began building stereo systems in his spare time, in the hope that one day he would be able to finance his studies by selling them.

His mother related: “Yossi was ready for life. He was talented, handsome, full of energy and initiative. He knew what lay before him. He was a formed and steady young man of 20. Everything was clear and planned down to the last detail, except... for the number of his years.”

Two days before the Yom Kippur War broke out, Yossi telephoned and announced that he would not be coming home soon, as all leaves had been cancelled. In the war Yossi proved to be a fearless fighter.

The war in Sinai continued at full intensity. Yossi changed tanks, but that one too was hit in the hail of shells: hit once, hit twice, three times, four and five times. Yossi, with supreme composure, repaired his vehicle again and again and continued to fight, at an excellent professional level, with sound judgment and extraordinary courage. Yossi, who had been an outstanding trainee in the armored crews course, proved his learning in practice on the battlefield.

On 26 Tishrei 5734 (22.10.1973), the day of the ceasefire, his unit was moving on the western bank of the canal, south of Fayid, and then Yossi's tank took its sixth, fateful hit, and Yossi fell.

For his heroism in the battles, and in particular for his brave conduct in the battle of 8 October, in which his tank was hit five times, Yossi was awarded the Medal of Courage (Itur HaOz).

And this is the text of the medal citation: “On 8 October 1973 the battalion to which Sergeant Yosef Zivish, of blessed memory, belonged carried out a counterattack on the enemy at the ‘Machshir’. During the assault 7 tanks of the battalion were hit, and the force split into sub-forces across the whole width of the objective. The tank commanded by Sergeant Yosef Zivish, of blessed memory, went up onto the objective together with the battalion commander's tank. At the end of the assault visual contact between the two tanks was lost, but Sergeant Yosef Zivish, of blessed memory, continued the attack although his tank had been badly hit, and in the end he rescued his crew members and the crew members of another tank, and brought them safely to our forces. Later in the war his tank was hit 5 more times, and each time he succeeded in repairing it and continued to fight. The sixth time, when the tank was hit, he was killed. In these actions he displayed courage, composure, resourcefulness and devotion to the mission.”

He was laid to rest in the military cemetery at Kiryat Shaul. After his fall he was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant. He left behind a mother and a brother.

In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family his commander wrote: “During the period when we were training I did not manage to get to know Yossi well, but I received excellent reports from his direct commanders. In the war I happened to observe at close hand the qualities of Zivish (as he was called in his unit), and I think, in all sincerity, that I came to know a fighter of exceptional stature. His quietness, his excellent professional level, his clear judgment and above all his courage were the qualities demanded of a fighter in this difficult war, and Zivish proved that all of them were present in him. His image and memory will always stand before us as a model of a fighter of rare stature, who can stand in the same rank with the greatest fighters of the people of Israel in all generations.”