Gassner, Abraham (Edek)

Was born on October 10, 1925 in the city of Krakow, Poland to a religiously observant family, where he studied in the “cheder” and in a Polish elementary school, and as a child he was circumcised by his father. In 1940, after the Germans occupied Poland, he was imprisoned with the family in Podgorze and later on a scale and worked on paving roads. In June 1942, he was separated from his family and taken to a detention camp in Plaszow, where he escaped, was caught and returned to the camp with the whole family. After the murder of one of his brothers by the Nazis, he returned to the religious tradition, and since then he became cautious in the mitzvot and was eager to help his brothers and other Jews, and he became devoted to caring for his brother, He was sent to the Skarzysko camp in 1943 and worked in a bomb factory, and in 1944 he was transferred to Buchenwald because of the approach of the advancing Russians. After five months of illness in a hospital in Modena, he joined a “Torah V’Avodah” training group in the city of Abisi near Milan. From there he immigrated to Israel in January 1946 on the ship “Enzo Sireni” and after the liberation from the Atlit camp he immigrated with many immigrants to Kfar Etzion and was among the few who settled there nicely and was accepted as a friend. He excelled at working in the soil, in the building and in all branches of the agriculture. He will be liked by his friends because of his good character and integrity. Avraham called one of the local companies and decided to build their family’s nest in the group. In the winter of 1948 he took part in the defense of the Gush and became the commander of the No. 1 position in the defense of Kfar Etzion, “I have seen so much and experienced under the Nazis that there is nothing else in the world that will frighten me. And encouraged them to stand firm, because “from here there is no retreat.” On May 12, Arab Legion and Arab forces carried out a heavy attack on the Bloc and managed to locate it in two, the attack continued on the following day and on the last day of the fall of Kfar Etzion, , Operated a anti-tank “Fiat” and Molotov cocktails and stopped the enemy tanks near the gate. When the bottles ran out and the Fiat stopped operating, the tanks penetrated inside and he fell there on duty. On the 17th of Cheshvan 5710 (17.11.1949) he was transferred to the eternal military cemetery at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.