 His father had served as a Rav in Timișoara, Romania, and was a devout follower of the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum.When Yossi was an infant, his father moved the family to Williamsburg, New York, in order to be close to the Rebbe, and worked as a "mashgiach" in a butcher shop.Yossi attended a Satmar cheder in Williamsburg.