Kaufman, Aharon (“Gaaton”)

Son of Yosef and Miriam. He was born on May 22, 1924 in Vienna, the capital of Austria. He completed four years of high school in Vienna and showed a special inclination for painting, craftsmanship and technique. With the annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany in 1939, he immigrated to Israel as part of the Youth Aliyah and was in Tel Yosef. After completing his training there, he remained there for another year, doing his favorite work as a tractor operator. During that period he participated in the Daya course and he outlined his way of life. For a while he lived in Kibbutz Ga’aton and the nickname Ga’aton accompanied him until his last day. He participated in a second course of the Palmach, to which he joined without hesitation, and received his training as a pilot in Na’an in the harsh underground conditions of the British regime, whose name reached the ears of the authorities and the imprisonment of the Black Sabbath. He was one of our first pilots before the establishment of the State of Israel, and continued to progress in his profession, studying in Israel and even abroad (London) where he studied a special course for training Pilots is considered an experienced and talented professional A fighter in the Palmach and an air force fighter in Israel, with his first pilots. He was one of the founders of the flight school in Israel. Was drafted into the IDF in June 1949. The army and the aircraft gave him the opportunity to reach his full personal development Ten days before his release from the army on April 10, 1955, he fell in the line of duty and was put to rest in the military cemetery In Kiryat Shaul he left a wife and a son.