Avrahami, Aharon (Nelson)

Aharon (Nelson), son of Aliza and Shmuel Avrahami, was born on 22.4.1926 in Tel-Aviv and graduated with honors from the “Kol Yisrael Haverim” school. From childhood he aspired to be a seaman. When he became bar mitzva, he joined the Gadna and the naval branch of Hapoel. At the age of 16 and a half, during the Second World War, Aharon enlisted in the Royal Navy, assuming that it would pave the way fto enter the Naval Officers’ School in England, but he was told openly that Palestinian Jews were not accepted into the officers’ school. As a proud Jew, Aharon left the Navy and joined the ranks of the Palmach. In December 1947 he was sent down to the Hatzarim settlement training center in the Negev, the Palmach in Ein Harod and a month later to the Hanita group, to train the youth there. At that time, the Western Galilee was besieged and Aharon participated in various activities, including the explosion of the railway bridge near Rosh Hanikra. His father says that Aharon left Hanita alone, passed through Arab villages until he reached the beach. From there he swam under the water to the bridge, but when he saw that it was well guarded by Lebanese forces, he returned to Hanita to plan the explosion. Two days later Aharon went again, with his two apprentices, and performed the action. When Aharon heard about the disaster in the Yehiam convoy, Aharon, along with other commanders, prepared a reprisal. On the 23rd of Adar II 5708 (April 3, 1948), when the mine was laid, an accident occurred and the mine exploded taking Aharon’s life. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Nahariya. His father says that with the fall of Ben-Ami, the battalion commander, Aharon was offered the command post for the battalion and the entire region, but he fell before he could take over the job.