Yossi is a ‘citizen of the world’ and an eternal nomad, traveling the planet for both professional and personal explorations.
Yossi was born and raised in Israel and served three years in the navy on the Red Sea where he befriended the Bedouin people who greatly influenced him with their wholesome philosophy and nomadic lifestyle. To this day, regardless of where he may be living, Yossi likes to construct a tent, which may be on a city rooftop or in a rainforest and this tent becomes the center of family life.
Yossi studied Jewish Philosophy and Business Administration at Tel Aviv University followed by study of the 'Kabala' in authentic environments. A truth seeker by an inner calling, Yossi continues to study religions and philosophy including the Ancients, the Classics, the Eastern, the Contemporary and the Shamanic path.
His first book 'Jungle' is based on his survival story in the Amazon rainforest and was first published in 1986. An international bestseller, it has been translated into 10 languages and published in more than 20 countries. Recently Darlow Smithson (producers of 'Touching the Void') in cooperation with The Discovery Channel released an acclaimed docudrama titled 'Escape from the Amazon' based on Yossi's story. A feature film is also currently under production in the US.
In 1992, Yossi returned to the Amazon and made it his home. Fully engaged in the preservation of the Amazon Basin and the empowerment of its indigenous residents, he conducted informative workshops on their intellectual properties. Together with an interdisciplinary team of scientists he established 'Ethnobios' a biodiversity prospecting organisation. Together with the 'Takana' tribe of the 'Tuichi Valley' he initiated 'The Chalalan Project', a model eco-resort, fully owned and managed by local forest dwellers.
In 1995 Yossi was appointed Vice President of The Center for Investigation & Treatment of Addiction (CITA). In this capacity for the next 7 years, Yossi dedicated his life to promoting a new humanitarian approach for the treatment of opiate addiction, and established several treatment and research centers in more than 10 countries around the world.
In 2001 during the peak of the Palestinian ’intifada’, Yossi was invited to Israel to produce a reconciliation festival. Despite the escalation of violence in the region, the festival managed to attract spiritual leaders of Islam and Judaism as well as unprecedented audiences.
Yossi is a highly regarded motivational speaker and seminar leader for corporations and organizations around the globe.
Yossi’s second book 'Laws of the Jungle', is a book of insights derived from his life experience and inspired by living in the Amazon and observing nature. The book has been recently published in the US, Israel and Korea. Yossi is currently writing his third book and has also written lyrics for two musical CDs.
He recently established an innovative venture in the field of Web 3.0, developing a multidimensional semantic browser. The working title for this venture is 'a brave new web'.
Yossi practices yoga, does not own a TV and does not play golf. He is happily married to Belinda Yong and is the proud father to three beautiful girls, Mia (24), Cayam (7) and Nissim (4).
Yossi shares time between Australia, Israel and the rest of the world.
