Yehoshua Matza 20 years on the Jerusalem City Council, 10 of which were in the capacity of deputy mayor. The Matza family first arrived in Palestine from Ioannina in Greece, and settled in the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem's walled Old City. Matza was born in the city during the British Mandate era. Influenced by his family's attitude, Matza joined the Jewish underground group Lehi at age 14. Of his three brothers, two were also active in the Jewish underground; one in the Haganah and the other in the Irgun. His Lehi activities included posting anti-British flyers during the night, participating in paramilitary
Yehoshua Matza activities, and helping to hide weapons, sometimes in synagogues behind the arks where Torah scrolls were kept. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Jerusalem was the scene of intense fighting, and Matza participated in an operation that enabled Lehi fighters to blast their way into the Old City. The operation entailed planting a bomb outside the New Gate of the Old City walls. However, the plan was aborted when the bomb failed to detonate. Following the end of the war in 1949, Matza resumed his schooling, which he had suspended during his underground activities. Upon completing his high school education, Matza