Shurcstein, Avraham-Elkana
Son of Tsippora Daughter of-Alef Kahane and Yehoshua Aryeh was born on 28.8.1926 in Tel Aviv. After graduating from the Tachkemoni school in Jerusalem, he attended the “Haskalah” Gymnasium in Tel Aviv. He was active in the Hagana underground and after completing a government matriculation exam he enlisted in a year of service in Notarah, in order to study at the Technion in Haifa. Avraham-Elkana completed the course with honors, served for two years as a sergeant-sergeant in Dan, where he was in charge of the Hagana for the northern region, In December 1947, immediately after the UN General Assembly decided to divide the country into two states, he joined the army, even before he received a draft order, and took part in the defense of Tel Aviv and the surrounding area. In January 1948 he was appointed as a sergeant in Sarona, while participating in the attacks on Jaffa, Salameh and the surrounding area. He was later transferred to command of a platoon and participated in escorting convoys, many battles, and more. On March 27, 1948, he was transferred to the Nitzanim group, which was already cut off by the Arab gangs. He is very fond of his subordinates; he refuses to enjoy every advantage as a commander, takes part in the head with all the suffering and effort, and demands more of himself than others, but stands firm in his devotion to duty and duty. To silence in a few words the rites of young men during difficult times. He successfully planned and carried out the removal of the Arabs from the boundaries of the group and the breaking of their attack on it. On April 20, 1948, when the British still ruled the country, three British soldiers who had entered the group in the ambulance and the ambulance confiscated them for the clinic’s purposes. At the time of the Egyptian invasion with the declaration of the establishment of the state, he was already the commander of the place, encouraged the spirit of the people to hold out and fight sacrifice, to absorb and weaken the blow intended for Tel Aviv. When our forces attacked Ashdod, he contributed his part in a successful attempt to prevent the arrival of reinforcements to Egypt from the south, and he himself hit two Egyptian officers. When our attack on Ashdod failed and he knew that from now on Nitzanim could not stand up, he continued to encourage his men to fight. And only when the huge stream of Egyptian force mechanized equipped the first line of defense of the group and hit the second line hastily established, and because he was injured in the chest, he had no choice but to lift a blood-stained white in surrender. He left the position together with the company Mira son of-Ari for the Egyptians, to discuss surrender and save the lives of the remaining. As they approached the Egyptian officers, one of them shot Abraham and killed him. Mira pulled out a gun, killed the shooter, and was shot to death by his friends. Thus they both fell on the 29th of Iyar 5708 (7.6.1948), the day of the fall of Nitzanim. Immediately after they fell, the fire stopped and the others went into captivity. He was laid to rest at the cemetery in Nitzanim. The story of his exploits and heroism is told in “Nitzanim Diary” and “Nitzanim under Siege and the Campaign.”
