A Martyred Angel in Israel

At the beginning of the Gaza war, a photo came across my computer screen of a young man wearing tefillin. I’d never seen him before, yet I was instantly drawn by his pure angelic countenance, serenely speaking to God.

I sat transfixed for a moment before realizing the context of this photo: One of our fallen soldiers at the Gaza border.

“No! Not him!” I screamed aloud. “Please, not him!”

Yosef Malachi Guedalia, 22, of the elite Duvdevan commando unit, was in Jerusalem when Hamas first attacked. He raced toward the front line, facing dozens of heavily-armed terrorists with machine guns, grenades and RPGs.

In an unimaginably gruesome battle at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Yosef provided wounded civilians with immediate treatment and evacuated them to a safe place.

Then without hesitation, he bravely raced back to the battlefield to confront evil and protect the innocent.

Yosef was killed in heavy crossfire, just a few days after celebrating his first wedding anniversary.

He was buried at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem.

Beit Shemesh

With Yosef’s holy visage stuck in my mind, I traveled to Beit Shemesh to visit the Guedalia family as they sat shiva.

Their home was filled with hundreds of people – including Member of Knesset Moshe Abutbul – from all sectors of Israeli society, who’d come to cry, console and share memories.

I discovered that the Guedalia family is well-known, beloved and English-speaking. Yosef’s father, David, a hi-tech exec, made aliyah from America; Yosef’s mother, Dina, is originally from Manchester, England; Yosef’s wife Senai made aliyah from Boston.

Everyone spoke about how Yosef was a gentle, sweet person, with an ear-to-ear smile and a twinkle in his eyes, who studied Torah every spare moment and was an accomplished athlete. Yosef was loved by all, the child every parent could only dream of.

“Yosef’s middle name is Malachi, meaning ‘my angel,’” his father told me. “We named him ‘angel’ because that's who he was.”

Yosef always led by example. Army friends describe how he always went far out of his way to help others. He’d volunteer for the dirty jobs, without seeking the limelight.

This led to some good-natured ribbing by fellow soldiers, who called Yosef "fryer," a Hebrew term for someone who “gets taken advantage of.” That’s when the army commander stepped in and said, "No! We must all emulate Yosef’s example.”

Yosef’s brother Asher, also a soldier who learned of his brother’s killing while fighting near Gaza, describes Yosef’s key principles:

• Don’t stand by your neighbor's blood.
• Help the people of Israel in times of trouble.
• Never turn away in fear.

Elijah in Army Boots

“Yosef was Elijah the Prophet in army boots,” Asher told me. “People die. Angels do not die. Every day, we recite the blessing ‘Revival of the Dead.’ I believe that I will see Yosef again. He will return, with good tidings for the Jewish people.”

Yosef’s mother echoed this sentiment. “I am calm in my faith,” she told me. “Yosef is where he needs to be now. I know that great things will come from this. I am just waiting to receive the good news.”

What can we do to honor Yosef’s memory? “Aspire to be like Yosef,” Asher exhorts. “Hang his picture in every home and yeshiva. Strive to achieve his level of heroism and righteousness.”