Josif Shurna - Skipo was born in Skopje in 1922. He worked as a tinsmith. He has been involved in the National Liberation War (NOB) since the beginning of the uprising, as a background operative. Skipo was a member of the KPJ. Fleeing the terror of the Bulgarian police, together with his brothers Mois and Aaron Bahar and Mentesh Nahmias, they hid in Debar. He has been involved in the National Liberation War since May 1943 and worked in the Agitprop on the First Macedonian-Kosovo Strike Brigade. He also took part in all the battles of the brigade, and especially in Klenoec, Presek, Bukovich and other places. Josif Shurna was a machine gunner in all the fights, and he especially stood out with his courage in the attacks for liberation of Kichevo. He was captured by the ballists in the last attack, but managed to escape and rejoined his comrades in the brigade.

In addition to participating in the armed struggle, he had an exceptional talent for organizing cultural and entertainment life. He organized performances for the partisans and the local population in the liberated territories. Zhamila Kolonomos, in her book "The Movement of the Resistance of the Jews from Macedonia" says the following about Josif Shurna: Our Skipo sang one song for each nation: Serbian, Russian, Jewish, Albanian, and finally Macedonian, and we all sang together. We said that the Jewish song was Spanish. To us, the Jews, who understood the Ladino words, tears started rolling from our eyes when Skipo, full of emotions, took the guitar and began to sing the song "The trees are crying for rain." He never missed singing it. I told him, Skipo, as it’s like you are praying for our deported brothers and sisters. He would say, "Yes, the song is dedicated to our people, one song for every nation."

He also participated with the brigade in the "Bogomil Epic", at temperatures below -10°, with high snow and blizzards, on mountain ridges over 1,000m high, through the difficult passages of Kozhuv, Mariovo, Dren, Mukos, Azot, Poreche and Babuna, in constant conflict with the enemy near the village of Nikodin, up to Oreshka Chuka near the Bogomila tunnel and back to the crossing of the Black River and the entrance to the field of Mariovo. The length of the march was over 260 km or, on average, 18 km per day. The breakthrough of the First Macedonian-Kosovo Brigade in this area, the inability of the occupier to break and destroy it, had a strong response, not only in this area but also in Macedonia and in the Balkans.

After returning from the Bogomila March (part of the February Campaign), he led his last fight near the village of Belchishta, Ohrid. Going as a forerunner, he encountered strong Bulgarian units. He managed to hold them off and allowed the brigade to develop, at the same time inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. He bravely died in these battles in May 1944.

A memorial fountain bearing his name was erected at the site of his death after the War. In the Skopje district of Chair, a street is named after Josif Shurna.