Ionas (Yona) Karoussis, was born in Jerusalem on the 11th of September 1998, from Greek parents from Thessaloniki (Dimitrios and Urania). He grew up in Jerusalem (Malcha neighborhood). He went to “Hashalom” elementary school and then continued his studies in “Leyada” High school. He was an excellent student and finished his “bagrout” with excellence. He had a great talent in Arts. He studied piano for 12 years at the Conservatory of Music of the Jerusalem Academy. He had also a great talent in drawing and drawed hunderds of beautiful paintings and portraits, some of the were presented in exhibitions during elementary and High school (see attached folder).
He served in the IDF (regular army service) from 2016-2019.
He was accepted at Tel Aviv University, school of Architecture in 2020 and started his studies which he almost completed, with excellence. In October, he was planning to start the last year of his Architectural studies and his practical education.
His social life was full of adventure and passion for life, being a carrying and loving individual, towards all. He attracted a great number of unique friends from all over his life periods and made them all feel, that they were his best friend. He was the link between Greek and Israeli friends and they all felt ONE with each other. The Prime Minister of Israel, when referring in a letter and speech to Ionas, stressed that Jonas was a bridge of peace between Greece and Israel, and not only. He (Netanyahu) said that Jonah's message means that his family and all of us must represent the spirit of David, which will prevail !
He was very athletic and loved sports (especially basketball) and used to play few times a week both in Jerusalem (Malcha) and in Tel Aviv. He was a supporter of Hapoel Jerusalem in basketball, but his great love was the team from Thessaloniki, PAOK.
Ionas (Yona) was a very spiritual person (not in the narrow religious way) and strongly believed in a loving God for all people. His way of life was radically influenced by the paradigm of Jesus Christ, in whom he strongly believed and prayed to. Every turn of his life was miraculously directed by God and through prayers. He believed that we can actively participate in a radical change of this world, through love towards everyone, friend or enemy. The greatest inspiration for this love, derived from the words of Jesus on the cross, where He prayed for forgiveness of those who crucified Him (“because, they didn’t realize what they were doing”). He believed on the Unity of all people, like brothers of the same Father, without distinctions. His faith was that by changing ourselves in the way of life and philosophy of Jesus, we can build a new world, with no hatress and wars and death, and no retaliation but instead, forgiveness for all. Ionas (Yona) believed that the last (and most important) development towards this world change, will be the “return” of Israel and the trye understanding of the teachings of the greater Jew in history, Jesus from Nazareth.
Based on his faith, Ionas (Yona) was a very humble person and never judged in a bad way, anyone. As a result, he had no enemies and everyone loved him, describing him as a “sunbeam”.
He was brutally murdered, while working on his architectural project at Yaffo train station. Ionas was named after Yona the prophet, who was the first (and only) prophet who applied to the Nations (a universal approach for salvation) and who symbolizes Jesus’ death and resurrection by his 3-day “death” in the belly of the big fish. Interestingly, the prophet Yona, started and ended his mission, in Yaffo… Yona (pigeon in Hebrew) is also the symbol of peace and of the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew letters of Yona, also symbolize “someone who comes from Yavan, (Greece in Hebrew)”.
Yona believed in the eternal life and the resurrection of all. The eternity of his spirit not only still remains with us, but also continues to influence the surroundings and the world !
His main mottoes were:
“Sometimes God brings a Goliath in our lives, in order to discover David inside us”
“Pure, Godly love towards all with no distinctions, in the element that will change this world”.
*For those who are more interested in Jonah's spiritual content and faith, you can visit the following website: https://www.godlylove.blog
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