Kesten, Abraham

Son of Atta and Gershon, was born on 14.11.1913 in Germany, where he acquired a high school education. He was a member of the He – Chaluts movement and a member of the Habonim union. After four years of training he immigrated to Israel on August 9, 1937 and joined Kfar Giladi. From the day of his arrival there was an organic connection to the kibbutz and a flag with absolute equality. He demanded that the contents of the kibbutz be maintained and that they aspire to enrich the social life by fully developing the individual personality and discovering the creative power of the individual. Abraham did not concentrate on one subject and worked in many fields. Being straight to extremes, devoid of deviation, he and his surroundings created conflicts that left deep residues in his soul. Was very dynamic, to the point of an objective lack of vision and a sense of perception and ability to express. Avraham worked as a plumber and during his free time devoted himself to painting. He painted mainly the Galilean landscape on its various sides. For holidays and parties, he decorated the dining room. He also devoted himself to the dramatic circle, became interested in folk dancing and was aware of the music life in the agriculture. According to him, art was intended to elevate the gray life of labor. One of his life’s aspirations was to bring the cultural assets closer to the working man’s soul. He tended to teach, and in the fall of 1947 he obtained the consent of the kibbutz to study in the profession and was accepted to the Kibbutzim College. In the spring of 1948, when the War of Independence was at its fullest, he returned from the seminar to defend the point from Arab attacks. All these years he was a member of the Haganah and of the signal centers in the village. He was appointed to command a position. At the beginning of June 1948, he was sent to Rosh Pina to serve as a VIP, and from there he was transferred with other members to the Jordan River Guard On June 10, 1948, the Syrians attacked the colony with great force and succeeded in conquering it. In this battle fell. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery at Nahalat Yitzhak.