A long name, full of titles and abbreviations,
but behind it stood Yoni, upright like a mast,
a simple man.
A modest person, a family man,
a lover of Torah and a man of integrity.
His ways were always holy
in his prayers, in his study, in the pleasantness of his speech,
and in his ability to distinguish between the essential and the trivial,
between the sacred and the mundane.
Half of Yoni's life was spent in uniform,
with ranks on his shoulders, holding senior positions,
but at no point were his values swayed by the uniform.
Yoni was completely dedicated to the people of Israel, to all of us!
All of his thoughts and words were focused on this purpose.
Understanding that the foundation of our national goals is the family unit,
Yoni was an exemplary family man,
a loving husband to Yiska and a devoted and attentive father to his children,
even when it required great effort from afar.
We were blessed in our community, the Shomria community,
to have Yoni, who walked among us as a man like an angel,
without us even noticing him enough.
Of Yoni, it can be said: "Blessed is he who speaks and acts,"
though he acted much and spoke little.
That was Yoni—constantly active yet modest, caring for everyone around him,
and at the forefront of his concerns—to be an emissary of Hashem,
to partner with Hashem.
The Synagogue
Our synagogue stands in great splendor at the center of the community, at the center of our lives, and its entrance is directly opposite the entrance of the Steinberg family home.
We all knew how important the synagogue’s construction was to Yoni, and so, immediately upon learning of Yoni’s fall HY”D on Simchat Torah, it was clear to all of us—the synagogue would be completed and stand in his name, in his memory, to continue his dream.
Yoni always charged forward; he rushed forward on the morning of the holiday, leaving his home quickly, racing towards his soldiers stationed at Kerem Shalom, stopping by the roadside to capture terrorists, and ultimately, heroically charging at the forces of evil that ambushed him by the side of the road.
Our Yoni was never a man of half-measures; everything he did, he aspired to do perfectly. Following in his footsteps, we seek to add light and goodness in Torah, in prayer, and in true friendship.
Our permanent synagogue is being built in the design of the synagogue of the Atzmona community that was destroyed by terrorists in the sands of Gush Katif. Our community carries within its genes the struggle of the Jewish people to return to the land and to further the redemption of Israel, which is steadily appearing before our eyes.
In order to complete this house of Hashem in its full glory, we need the help of each and every one of you.
The bima, the ark, the Kollel, the bookcases, and the benches—they all form the proper vessels for this small sanctuary, and we seek to complete them with beauty and perfection, befitting this place of divine presence.
Parts of the synagogue’s furnishings have already been ordered, and we are in debt to suppliers, while other parts have not been ordered due to a lack of budgetary capacity.
This is a call to each and every one of you to seize the opportunity to partner with us in strengthening the voice of prayer and study, specifically from this place, to become partners in the continuation of Yoni’s unique path, and to commemorate his name and memory in this place of prayer and study that was the center of his life.
We have no doubt that Yoni will direct the heavenly Beit Midrash in parallel with our earthly Beit Midrash, and will act for the entire people of Israel, that our words may be favorable before the Master of all.