Yosef Haguel remembered And Epstein's 1967 rescue

Oct 3–4

Chen Beyar remembers Yosef Haguel, reported to have died that weekend at 80. Archival Haguel testimony reconstructs being wounded in Jerusalem in the Six-Day War, medic Shlomo Epstein treating and dragging him toward a wall, then shielding him during mortar fire and being killed. Beyar says 'Ballad for a Medic' was written before this incident and was not originally based on one specific event, but became associated with the pair after its later release. He describes Epstein's courage medal, Haguel naming his firstborn after him and the family's pain at the song's public use. Yossi Liberman describes Haguel passing the story to successive generations and his generosity. The report recalls his lifelong reserve volunteering, including more than five hundred days in the latest war. The song is cultural remembrance, not evidence that its original lyrics documented this rescue. The narration places the rescue on the war's third day; that source chronology is retained.

Kan announces Yosef Haguel's death that weekend at 80 and remembers his lifelong reserve volunteering, generosity and work passing his rescue story to new generations. Yossi Liberman describes his service and teaching. The obituary connects his legacy with Shlomo Epstein and 'Ballad for a Medic,' while stating the song was written before the rescue. The precise day of death remains disputed.