Abramson, Aryeh

Son of-Nechama and Itamar. Was born in 1893 in Ukraine, Russia. As a boy he was already active in his hometown, in the Zionist movement and in the self-defense organization against Russian rioters. In 1909 he emigrated to Eretz Israel and not long after he began to realize his wish: establishing an organization of Hebrew shepherds. Aryeh and two of his friends – Gershon Fleischer and David Tzlevitz from the Hashomer youth movement – went to the Bedouins to learn the grazing and tribal customs. His life among the shepherds was not easy, living in the tent, the meager food, the filth, were unbearable, but their perseverance persisted and the three learned the ways of the shepherds. Then they took upon themselves the wife of the herd of the settlement in Beit Gan. They later set up the “Shepherd” group, which numbered 14 members, and it undertook to herd herds in the Galilee communities on equal terms with Bedouin shepherds. Under their influence and guidance, the sheep branch entered the Hebrew agriculture. From here on Aryeh’s life trajectory ranged from guard to grazing. During the First World War, Aryeh and his friends grazed herds in Sarona and Mitzpeh in the Galilee. At the time, the Turkish government was known to be hostile to the Yishuv, and especially to members of Hashomer and other organizations in the Yishuv. Aryeh was arrested and exiled to Damascus, but on the way he managed to escape and hide. After the British conquest, he volunteered for the roving police in the Upper Galilee, but was very attracted to the life of the shepherds and therefore retired from the police and together with his friend Fleischer established a new shepherd group. On the occasion of a disaster in his family, Aryeh was forced to leave for Mexico and his departure led to the liquidation of the group. He did not despair, and when he returned he founded a new group of shepherds in the name of Abrik, but here too disappointment flowed and the group disbanded. He then moved to guard duty in Be’er Tuvia. With the establishment of the Association of Guardians joined it and worked as a guard in Kfar Hasidim. In an incident between Arabs and Jews in Couscous-Tivon, Aryeh was arrested and imprisoned for two years in Acre. He was one of the leaders of the prison inmates, encouraged his friends with advice and instructed them how to treat Arab prison guards and prisoners. When he was released, he moved to Tel Mond, where he worked as a guard and coordinated the affairs of the association. In Tel Mond, he was once again caught up in a new activity and was one of the founders of a farm of guards and shepherds in Shiv Arik. After another failure and disappointment, he returned to Gush Katif. The life of wanderings, fever, rheumatism, imprisonment, and deprivation all gave the Aryeh its signs, and he had no strength in pneumonia. He passed away on the 17th of Tishrei 5742 (17.10.1941) and was brought to eternal rest in the tombs of the guardians of Shikh Abrik.