'The place of their burial is unknown' - the late Yossi Farhi perished on the submarine 'Dakar' • The pain he left behind is unrelenting

(haipo) - The submarine Achi Dekar disappeared in January 1968 and with it 69 crew members, who left behind grieving families who were not even allowed to go to the grave and hold on to it in their agony over the loss of their loved ones. On the occasion of Memorial Day for the fallen of Israel's armed forces whose burial place is not known, which was noted this week - Yehuda Farhi's story about his brother The late revered Yossi, who perished on the submarine, along with 68 of his friends.

One of the most difficult events engraved in the heart of Israel like a pulsating scar is the mysterious sinking and disappearance of the submarine Ahi Decker, which set out from Britain to Israel on January 9, 1968, and for an unknown reason sank on January 25, and all 69 of its crew members perished.

Decades without a hint

Only 31 years and 4 months after the day of her sinking, during which extensive searches were carried out for her and countless attempts were made to collect clues that would shed light on the cause of her sinking and her location, in 1999, the hull of the submarine and its remains were located on the seabed by the American company Nauticos, at a depth of three kilometers and at a distance of 485 km from the shores of Haifa.

The hull of the submarine was not taken out of the water due to the fear of disintegration. Some of its remains are currently displayed in the Navy Museum at the southern entrance to Haifa. At the point of her discovery, a comprehensive record of the remains was made, but not a single one of her 69 crew members was located.

A little tight circle

The families of those who perished were, perhaps, able to close some sort of circle with the discovery of the remains of the submarine, after so many years in which they were tormented by such complete ignorance as to the fate of their loved ones, and without a hint or a sign that they could hold on to.

From the report of Nauticos that found the remains of the "Dakar":

His younger brother Yehuda

One of the 69 crew members who perished on the Dakar was the late Yossi Farhi. His younger brother, Yehuda, has since devoted much of his energy to raising the memory of the submarine's story and commemorating the 69 people who perished when it sank, including, of course, his brother Yossi.

Yossi was born in Egypt on 14.11.47, to parents Lucy and Eliyahu Farhi. With the rise of the power of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the parents decided to leave everything behind and immigrate to Israel. Almost destitute arrived in Haifa and settled in the German colony.

In a small laundry room, on a large roof from which they could see the harbor, the sirens of the ships sailing in the distance and the rattle of the train wheels, this was the view of the childhood of the brothers Yossi and Yehuda.

Yossi bro

Yehuda says: "We would walk barefoot in the hot sand and cool our feet in the cold waters of the sea at the "Quiet Beach" near the navy base. The roaring sea and the sands were the perfect setting and it was the one that accompanied our childhood. Our parents worked until late hours, and my brother was the dominant figure in my life, who designed, educated and was the pillar of fire that goes before me. I can say that with my mouth full to this day."

Acting talent and personal charm

"Yossi had skills in acting, imitating, playing music and singing," says Yehuda. "He had the ability to enter the character with every inch of his limbs, until sometimes it was no longer possible to tell who was the duplicate and who was the original. The jokes, the acting and his great talent were the tools with which he activated the laughter glands in all those around him. His theatricality and amazing ability to imitate did not leave any person of authority - from the rabbi in the synagogue to the last of his teachers - indifferent to his presence."

Before his enlistment, Yossi managed to record 17 songs. The recordings he left behind include songs about the sea, about sailors, about storms and shipwrecks, and also the sailor's promise to his girlfriend that he would return soon. When he was recruited, in November 1965, into the naval commando, his mother was horrified by the dangerous choice and asked him to move to a safer place. Out of respect for his mother, Yossi changed direction and joined the submarines. This satisfied our mother, for her a submarine was a dry place, which provided proper shelter for its servants.

Joy is contagious

Yossi volunteered, as mentioned, for the submarine fleet and was part of the crew of the submarine 'Ahi Tanin' that penetrated the port of Alexandria during the Six Day War. Upon her safe return from her mission, Yossi was sent to England, to the submarine Dakar. , and that he would bring a smile to the face of everyone who was in his presence, with his clowning, singing and his rare sociability," says Yehuda. "Yossi hosted the Rosh Hashanah party in 1967 in Portsmouth, which his friends always say is one of the most successful parties they remember, thanks to his hosting of Joseph.

זיכרון

Yehuda manages a rich private collection, entirely of materials dealing with the submarine and its commemoration, collecting and preserving every detail, every piece, as if trying to complete the puzzle, the hole in the heart left by the loss of his brother Yossi, which will never be completed.