"16-Year-Old Yossi's Journey Through Work Camps and the Death March – Unwavering in Faith"

"Yossi Rot never spoke of his experiences during the war. Whenever asked, he would say 'It's not interesting,' preferring to focus on the present and life itself. Grandpa Yossi is my wife Yaara's grandfather," recounts Raphael Levi, a reporter for Channel 7.

"He was born in Hungary in 1923, and at 16, the war broke out. He wandered from labor camps to the death march, yet held onto one thing: the tefillin he received for his Bar Mitzvah, large and ornate, in a blue pouch with a golden Star of David. Alongside the tefillin, he kept a family photo.

"His daughter Rachel recounts that not a day passed without her father praying Shacharit and putting on his tefillin. After the war, Grandpa Joseph returned to his hometown in Miskolc, Hungary, hoping to reunite with his family. He found his older brother Aaron, but also realized the magnitude of the tragedy. His mother and brother Tzvi Hirsch were murdered, along with the extended family - many uncles, aunts, and cousins. His father had passed away before the war, when Yossi was 8.

Yossi and his brother immigrated to Israel and established their families. After Grandpa Yossi's passing, the tefillin were passed on to his grandson, Idan Barzillai, who wears them daily. "It is a great privilege to use these tefillin. As a grandson, a father, a teacher, I feel the tefillin help me remember who I am, where I come from, and what I want to pass on to my children and students. The tefillin play a significant role in transmitting tradition from generation to generation. I believe it was very important to Grandpa Yossi, who chose this as his enduring legacy."