Building Yosef's Lookout

Yosef Guedalia zt"l embodied pure happiness, determination, bravery, kindness, and good. He was a dedicated soldier, beloved son brother uncle and husband, and the friend everyone wanted to have. Yosef loved to learn Torah whenever he could and found much power and inspiration within its words.

Yosef spent the majority of his army service within Tzevet 400, Duvdevan's drones team. Yosef was one of the initiators of the tzevet. Yosef loved his tzevet as if they were his brothers. He spent countless sleepless nights with them, protecting one another and Klal Yisrael. They were his family and he was so proud to be a part of it.

Last year, Tzevet 400 began building a small recreational deck on their base, intended for much-needed relaxation during the very rigorous daily routine. Yosef was particularly excited about this project - he found donors and supplies and was committed to creating a pleasant environment for the tzevet to hang out in. The deck, however, was never completed.

On October 7th, Yosef didn't hesitate to leave Simchat Torah davening and drive straight to base. From there, he drove to Kfar Azza. Yosef was killed after hours of battle in which he saved many innocent civilians.

His loss is a tremendous one for all those that love him, and an especially significant one for his tzevet.

After losing Yosef, his tzevet was invigorated to turn the deck into a beautiful lookout spot in his memory. Yosef loved to climb behind the tzevet's wall in order to have the view of the Judean desert behind it. This is where he'd call his family, learn Torah, and study for his next mission. The tzevet plans to take the wall down, expand the deck, and add several features in Yosef's memory. The lookout will serve as a place of relaxation for the soldiers and a way for new soldiers to learn about Yosef.

Yosef was incredibly proud to be part of a team that saves lives every night, and we are so proud of him. We are excited to help create this calming, grounding, and educational space in his memory.

In Yosef's words...

״המטרה של יום הזכרון זה לא לבכות על מה שקרה ואיך שהיו אנשים גיבורים, אלא זה להבין שלכל אחד מאיתנו יש את היכולת והכוח לעשות מה שהם עשו והם מעוררים אותנו לראות כמה כוח יש לנו.״

"The purpose of Memorial Day is not to cry over what happened and how they were such heroic people, rather it is to understand that each one of us has the ability and the strength to do what they did and they awaken us to see how much strength we have."