Yossi Aptalon z”l
Before we recite the Mourners’ Kaddish every week, we hear a list of names of people who have died in the past year. When the first Yahrzeit passes, the name is removed from the list. The name Yossi Aptalon has been on the list since October, 2023. His name has been the first name on the list for the past few weeks, and come Simchat Torah his name will leave the list.
I did not know Yossi Aptalon. I will not have the opportunity for an unveiling or any other rite of closure. But I want the congregation to know something about him; this will be a way of remembering him.
Yossi was a distant cousin of my son-in-law Avner Finberg. He lived in Kibbutz Be’Eri and along with his dog Elvis, was one of one hundred Kibbutzniks slaughtered by Hamas on October 7, 2023. He was 77 years old, a widower, and had one hand. His body was found two weeks later.
Yossi moved with his family to Israel from Kazakhstan by way of Poland after World War II. He took up printing and graphics, and became an expert in the use of the “photo sequence” machine. The Kibbut Be’Eri eulogy states:
His ability to talk to anyone “at eye level” paved a path to everyone’s hearts.
In the last decade, Yossi was very involved in the creation of the kibbutz archive and was involved in documenting and preserving private, family and kibbutz history. At this time, he also gave space to his personal expression and his rich art through painting. He also recently completed a book about Roni, his wife who passed away two years ago.
Upon learning of his murder, his cousin Carmela said: “The world is a less good place since he is gone. The wise, generous, loving, sensitive and valuable man will be so missed by his nuclear family, his extended family, his kibbutz friends and his childhood friends and the whole world.”
May his memory be for a blessing.