Senai Guedalia on her late husband Sergeant First Class Joseph Malachi Guedalia
(Video: Shifra Soloveichik)
Yosef and Senai Guedalia did not have a typical marriage, seeing each other much less often than most married couples. But that added another layer of meaning to their relationship.
Sergeant First Class Joseph (Yosef) Malachi Guedalia served in the Duvdevan special forces unit, keeping him away from his beloved wife for days on end as he was out there fighting terrorists. While sometimes challenging, his service was a source of great pride for Senai.
Yosef loved surprises
Senai grew up in Boston and moved to Israel on her first year in seminary. With her parents' blessing, she realized her dream of making Aliyah. Once in Israel, she met Yosef in camp the summer after seminary and their relationship quickly deepened. He admired her Aliyah story, coming to the Holy Land by herself and leaving her old life behind.
Known for his fondness for surprises, Yosef chose a special moment to propose to Senai at Armon Hanatziv in Jerusalem, a place that held special significance to their relationship. He creatively orchestrated the proposal under the pretense of taking a drone photo for a friend’s birthday. The proposal was both intimate and memorable, set against a serene sunset, capturing the essence of their bond.
"We get to Armon Hanatziv, even at this point I'm just babbling. I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, it's so pretty here. Someone should get married here.' And he got a little quiet," she says.
"I think at that point he was sort of in the mindset of 'okay, this is about to happen.' And then he says, 'Senai' and I turned around and he was on one knee and he was proposing. And then we just enjoyed the sunset together. And it was really special. It was very us."
"The Nation of Israel thanks you!"
As part of his service, Yosef was actively involved in high-risk military operations throughout his relationship and marriage with Senai. At first, Senai found his role daunting but grew to take pride in his contributions.
On October 6, their last day together before Yosef was recalled to duty, they enjoyed a day out together.
"It was Friday, we went to the food trucks in Shoresh. It was fun, we were just enjoying the view," she shares. "He ran into a friend from the [unit] and the friend said to me, 'The Nation of Israel thanks you.' I was like, 'No, no, not me. You! I thank you guys.'
However, Yosef's commander called him and asked him to come back to the base the next day, Simchat Torah. A bit disappointed he had to leave during his favorite holiday, he spent the evening joyfully celebrating with his family, dancing and embracing the festive spirit, making the most of their time together.
"I was upset because he didn't want to leave on Simchat Torah, it’s his favorite holiday," she says. "And he said, 'but remember, the Nation of Israel thanks you!' That night was really fun. We were dancing in the street from place to place. He was being himself times 100, hugging me and dancing with me. And that was the peak for Yosef, celebrating his people, celebrating the Torah and being with his family."
The next day, Saturday, October 7, Yosef received an early morning phone call from his commander. Senai knew something unusual had happened.
"Yosef hangs up the phone. I said, 'What is it? What's wrong?' And he said, 'there's a ‘balagan’ (disaster) in the south. There are hurt soldiers. I need to be ready.' About 10 minutes later, there's a siren here. We ran downstairs. Yosef just hugged me cause I was shaking. I grew up in America. I've experienced one siren other than that in my life before this. So I was really shaken up. And he just hugged me tight. 'It's okay. It's okay.'
"The neighbors are saying to him, 'Where are you going? What's going on?' And he says, 'I'm just going back to the army.' He didn't want anyone to be worried. And they were like, 'Oh, we’re at war.' He runs down the stairs. We run to the car. He was in a big hurry at that point. He turns to me and gives me a kiss, and he said, 'I'll see you soon.'
"And I was pretty shocked by the whole situation because as normal as normal as it was for him to leave in the middle of a Shabbat or holiday, I could tell he was rushing. Something was up. Nobody knew what was going on. But Yosef has told me before, from the [mission] that he was meant to go on he said 'I'll be home by [Saturday night].' So I was like, 'Okay...'
Senai did not hear from him on Saturday night, but she learned from other wives that his team was in the south by the afternoon. Throughout the night, she experienced a recurring dream in which Yosef assured her of his safety and well-being, despite feeling tired.
"The whole night I had a dream, a repeating dream that he was calling me and saying 'Hi, I'm okay, don't worry, I'm just tired, but I'm okay.' I woke up in the morning and I was like, okay. He didn't call, but I'll take that as a sign that he is okay."
Proud of you
Yosef was killed in action at Kibbutz Kfar Aza during an hours-long rescue mission from terrorists. After he fell in battle, Senai grappled with her grief, experiencing profound shock during the Shiva.
"I don't remember so much of the Shiva. I think that I was in deep shock. Those were very hard days. Your body and your brain can't take it," she shares. "I'm someone who just doesn't really cry in front of other people. I'm a very emotional person. But in the past, I...I don't know. I never cried in front of other people. And all of a sudden I just had no control. I was weak, I was tired, I was exhausted, but I wasn't sleeping."
Throughout this time, she sought to learn more about Yosef from those around her, finding comfort in the consistency of the stories shared, which reinforced her understanding of his good and kind character.
"Nothing surprised me. Things were new, but everything was so consistent; what people were telling me. Nothing was like, 'Oh that's strange.' I wouldn't expect that. No, it was so him. Everything that we heard, It's not [just coincidence] that he was surrounded by so many good people. It means a lot about him... He knew so many good people and he's still sending them to me. They’re his [messengers] I bring little pieces of him every time.
Shifra Soloveichik Photo: Courtesy"I feel very lucky. I knew Yosef was so special when he was here. and we would say to each other, 'We're so lucky.' I feel like it sounds unrealistic, but we were always so happy, always laughing, you know? I know now what happened and I wouldn't change a thing. if I changed it, what would happen? You know? I have no right to change things. But I was [privileged] to have them while I had them, I would never live anywhere else than here. It's my home."
"Yosef was so special in the sense that he saw good. He acted towards it. He believed in it. He did good. And that has really stayed with me. It pushes me all the time. Sometimes when I do something that's hard for me, I say, 'Are you proud?' I hear him say 'I'm so proud of you.' There's nothing like hearing that, like, physically. But it's still like I hear him say to me 'I’m so proud of you.'
Shifra Soloveichik is a producer and content creator based in Israel. Her experience in both television production and social media has led her to create her first independent production Valor Stories - a digital initiative and docuseries highlighting the unique strength of Jewish and Israeli women during times of war. Follow on Instagram, and YouTube.